Class 1 4
by crazyjw18
Summary: 15 years after Across the Stars, Keiko Moroboshi enters Tomobiki High. She is happy that she shares her class with both her childhood best friend and a very promising love interest, but will everything go as smoothly as she hopes?
1. A Tumultuous First Day

"Crap, I'm gonna be so late!"

"Young mistress, it is very dangerous to run in the house," an elderly servant piped up as the girl skidded around the corner and rushed past him.

"Sorry," the girl called back, but she didn't bother to slow down. This was her first day of high school, and being late would be totally embarrassing.

"Your helicopter is waiting outside," another servant informed her as she reached the front door.

"I don't have time for that!" the girl groaned. "Did you bring my jetpack around like I asked?"

"Yes, young mistress, but your mother said that she wasn't done testing it yet. You really shouldn't be using it."

"It's fine," the girl protested as she threw open the door.

The jetpack was sitting out by the driveway as promised. Hefting the heavy contraption up, the girl fumbled with the straps, making sure they were all nice and tight.

"Young mistress, won't you please reconsider?" the servant pleaded helplessly as he watched her prepare for takeoff.

"Nope." She smiled and flipped the ignition switch, confident that the jets would work as expected. After all she had helped build the thing.

She jerked skywards as the engines roared to life. Additional adjustments were clearly needed. That kind of takeoff could really hurt someone.

"Sumiko!"

The girl frowned as she faintly heard her father shout out her name over the noise of the thrusters. Oh well, there would be time for apologies after school. She threw up a hand in farewell and set off at top speed.

She giggled as she swept above the front lawn towards the edge of the estate. It would only take her a few minutes to get to school this way. Plus this would be much more impressive than parachuting down from a boring old helicopter.

She passed over the canal outside the estate and headed across town. Things looked quiet this morning, though she did spy a few other students dashing in the same direction she was heading. She felt sorry for them having to run such a long distance, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Tomobiki High School quickly came into view. She hastily decelerated and started her descent towards the crowd of students milling around the front of the building. Surely they would be impressed with her grand entrance.

With her attention firmly on the students below she didn't notice that she wasn't alone in the sky. She heard a loud grunt as she crashed into something.

"Hey, watch it!" the girl shrieked as she tried to push herself away. "That really hurt!"

Sumiko found herself looking into a pair of very angry bright blue eyes. "Keiko-chan?" she yelled as she tried to sweep the other girl's long strands of green hair out of her face. "Get out of the way, I can't see where I'm going!"

"Believe me, I'm trying, " the girl grouched as she finally managed to extricate herself.

"Oh crap!" Sumiko shouted as she noticed the courtyard rushing up to meet her. Instead of the graceful landing she had planned, the girl landed face first and slid along the ground for several meters before crashing into the front steps of the school.

"Serves you right!" Keiko taunted her from above.

Sumiko shakily managed to cut the engines off. "You did that on purpose!" she hissed as she unfastened the straps and threw aside the smoking jetpack. Getting back to her feet she shook her fist angrily at the girl hovering overhead. "What is wrong with you?"

"I was just minding my own business when you hit me!"

"Come down here and say that!" Sumiko retorted. She blushed as she suddenly noticed everyone in the courtyard staring at her. Hastily brushing her shoulder length black hair back in place and trying desperately to straighten her battered uniform, she turned away and stalked up the steps to the door. Now she looked like an idiot in front of the entire school.

"Wait for me!" Keiko called out as she swooped down to join the other girl.

"Leave me alone," Sumiko grumped as she went inside and started looking for her assigned shoe locker. "I really hate you, you know that?"

"Sure you do," Keiko replied, rolling her eyes as she struggled to keep up. "You always say that."

"I mean it this time." the girl insisted. "Stop following me."

"I'm not following you, I'm just going to class," Keiko replied, sticking out her tongue petulantly. She suddenly perked up. "Oh, look at that guy. He's super cute!"

"I don't care," Sumiko groaned as she finished putting on her indoor shoes. "You say that about almost every guy. You're going to be late if you don't hurry."

She wasn't surprised when she didn't receive a reply. Keiko had already left her to check out whatever boy had caught her interest.

"Whatever," she grumbled as she headed to her assigned room. "I guess this is it then, class 1-4." Taking a deep breath, she slid the door open and stepped inside.

Most of the class had already arrived. Randomly choosing an empty desk near the back of the room, she managed to get seated just seconds before the bell rang. Hopefully no one here had seen what had happened out front.

Sumiko looked around the room and started memorizing the faces of her new classmates. Prior to this year she had always attended an all girls private school across town. While she really hadn't made many friends there, at least all of the faces had been familiar.

She glanced up towards the front of the room as the door slammed open. To her consternation an all too familiar green-haired girl strolled confidently into the room.

Sumiko moaned. "Oh, this is just great."

Keiko spotted her immediately. "Yay, we're in the same class!" she exclaimed as she rushed towards the back of the room and noisily claimed the desk beside Sumiko.

"Why are you sitting there?" Sumiko hissed.

"Is that a problem?" Keiko leaned over and grinned widely. "Why wouldn't I sit next to my best friend in the whole universe?"

"Ugh," Sumiko whispered, highly aware that everyone was watching them. "I really can't stand you."

"Sure, sure," Keiko replied dismissively. "So where's the teacher?"

Sumiko shrugged. "How should I know?"

"He must be late," Keiko decided. "Maybe he won't show up at all. Then what do we do?" She sighed dramatically. "I hope he's at least handsome."

"What happened to the cute guy you were after a minute ago?" Sumiko asked in a weary tone.

"He had a girlfriend," Keiko answered irritably. "I swear every good looking guy around here is already taken."

"Maybe you should lower your standards then."

"No way! I'll find one sooner or later. This is the year I get a gorgeous long term boyfriend, I promise you that."

Sumiko shook her head. It was no mystery why such a pretty girl as Keiko had trouble keeping a boyfriend. Her quick temper and hyperactive personality would drive anyone nuts.

"Kinuka-chan!" Keiko suddenly called across the room, "How are you doing?"

A slender white-haired girl reluctantly turned her attention away from the window and cast a bored glare back towards the two.

"That's Kinuka-chan," Keiko explained more quietly. "She's been my classmate ever since kindergarten."

"I feel her pain at having known you that long," Sumiko drawled. "So what's with that hair? Is she a foreigner?"

"No, both of her parents are Japanese." Keiko shook her head. "They don't have hair like that either. I've asked her about it before, but she wouldn't tell me much."

"That's pretty weird," Sumiko noted. There was no doubt where Keiko's odd hair color came from. Or her little striped horns and fangs.

Their homeroom teacher picked that moment to come rushing into the room. "Sorry I'm late," the young woman called out nervously as she set her coffee down on her desk and dumped an overstuffed bag next to it. "You should all do your best to be on time every single day." She stopped and glowered at the whole class. "I hope you all realize that this is no way to start off the year!"

"Why is she looking at us like that?" Keiko growled. "At least I was almost on time."

"Well, now that that's out of the way," the teacher continued, "my name is Modoki Mako, and this is my first year teaching." She hastily scrawled her name across the chalkboard. "You can call me Modoki-sensei. I'll be both your homeroom and history teacher." She smiled and bowed low. "Please take care of me."

She straightened abruptly and with a worried expression on her face. "That's a good introduction, right?" She looked around as if challenging anyone to disagree.

"Great," she announced. "This is going to be a good class, I can already tell." She wrestled a wrinkled folder out of her bag and ineffectively tried to smooth it out on the desktop. "I've got the class roll right here." She glanced around the room. "We'll be using assigned seating so that I can learn your names faster."

Her announcement elicited a groan from a few students.

"Now we'll have none of that," Mako scolded them. "Now who wants to be the class representative?"

"I nominate Sumiko-chan!" Keiko immediately shouted. She pointedly ignored the glare coming from her nominee.

The teacher nodded as she checked the roll. "Ok, are there any other nominations?"

The class remained deathly silent.

"Well then, Mendou-san, you're our new class rep. Please come up here and help me get everyone seated."

"I'll get you for this," Sumiko muttered as she stood up and headed for the front of the room.

Keiko merely grinned. This would be a great way to get Sumiko to open up and make some new friends.

"Congratulations on your unanimous win," Mako greeted her with a smile. "Don't look so nervous, I don't bite."

"Thank you, Modoki-sensei," Sumiko replied. "What would you like me to do?"

"You're a polite one," Mako noted. She paused to jot something on the roll before handing it to Sumiko. "Class, please go stand in the back of the room until Mendou-san calls your name."

Sumiko quickly scanned through the list of names. There were a total of twenty students, and eleven of them were girls. Keiko wouldn't like that. Next to her name the teacher had already scribbled class rep. It looked like there was no getting out of this.

"Aizaka Sayo-san?" she began.

A pale blonde-haired girl nervously took the first seat.

"Himura Kenji-san."

The next student was a boy with reddish hair who kept a gentle smile on his face as he sat down in the next seat back.

"Inutaishō Kikuna-san."

The white-haired girl Keiko had greeted earlier stepped forward and flopped down in her seat. She stared at Sumiko with her intense golden eyes for just a moment before abruptly turning her attention out the window.

One by one the students claimed their new seats, until finally Sumiko reached the last name on the list.

"Yoshito Shin-san."

"Yeah, yeah," the final student replied as he settled down in the back corner. "Save the best for last and all that. I get it."

Mako decided to ignore him for the time being. "Thanks for the help, Mendou-san."

Sumiko nodded and headed to her new assigned seat. Which was unfortunately located directly in front of Keiko's. She pointedly didn't look at the girl as she sat down.

"Heh, it must be fate for us to be together," Keiko cooed into her ear. "I'm so happy!"

"I really do hate you," Sumiko retorted.

"What's your problem?" Keiko demanded. "You've been grumpy all morning."

"You've been annoying me all morning. Do you think there could possibly be a connection?"

"Humph," Keiko pouted.

"Mendou-san, Moroboshi-san, I'm trying to talk up here," the teacher pointed out. "Please be quiet."

Sumiko felt her cheeks turning bright red. "Sorry, sensei," she quickly apologized.

"Sorry about that, sensei" Keiko piped up. "It was my fault."

The teacher stared at her a moment. "Moroboshi-san, you're an oni, aren't you?"

"Half oni, actually," she replied a bit hesitantly. "My father's an earthling."

Mako nodded. "I thought so." She nodded. "Well, please try to keep quiet during class time."

"Yes, sensei."

* * *

"Finally!" Keiko exclaimed. "I thought lunch time would never get here."

Sumiko didn't bother to turn around. "I heard you eating back there. You already ate half of your bento during class, didn't you?"

"Guilty as charged," Keiko sighed as she inspected the meager portion of her lunch that was left.

"You would never survive at my old school," Sumiko noted.

"Who would want to? I would go crazy at an all girls' school."

Sumiko nodded. "You probably would." She leaned forward to rest her chin on her arms. "No matter where I am, lunch time is always so boring."

"That's because you never try to make friends with anyone," Keiko pointed out. She quickly glanced around the room. "Kinuka-chan, Azumi-chan, come sit with us!"

The two girls obediently made their way over.

"This is Sumiko-chan," Keiko told them with a hint of pride in her voice. "We've been friends since I was really little."

"Hello," Sumiko shyly greeted the two.

"Hi there," the taller of the two girls warmly replied. "It's very nice to meet you."

Kinuka simply nodded in greeting, her mouth already occupied with slurping down a bowl of noodles.

"Now that introductions are out of the way, sit down you two, we need to get down to business," Keiko announced. She looked around suspiciously to make sure no one else was in hearing distance. "We've got a real problem here. The ratio's all off."

"The ratio?" Azumi asked.

"The ratio! Look at how many girls are in this class!" Keiko explained. "And there's only a few decent looking guys."

"I'm not interested," Kinuka muttered between bites.

"Don't worry about me either," Azumi agreed. "The boy I like ended up in another class."

Keiko started toying with a lock of her hair reflectively. "Well, that helps a bit, but it's still not good. That still leaves seven other girls to worry about."

"I assume you're not counting me," Sumiko inquired.

Keiko blinked. "No, I guess I wasn't," she admitted. "So you're interested in boys now?"

"No," Sumiko quickly denied. "Not particularly."

"Um, I think you can also go ahead and count out Shino and Gosuke Udagawa-san," Azumi informed her. "They only seem interested in each other."

"Eww," Keiko responded. "They've got the same last name, aren't they relatives or something?"

Azumi shrugged. "Don't know. No one knows much about them."

"I'm disappointed in you, Azumi-chan," Keiko admonished her. "You're supposed to be our resident gossip queen."

"I'm working on it," Azumi retorted defensively. "It's only the first day of school after all."

"Kinuka-chan, what are your thoughts on that guy sitting in front of you?" Keiko demanded.

"I don't know. He seems ok," the girl replied as she finished off the last of her noodles. "I already told you that I'm not interested in that kind of thing."

"Oh, you're no help," Keiko replied. She thought for a moment. "So far the best one looks to be that guy with his hair in a braid. He's sitting right next to you, Sumiko-chan. Do you want to trade seats?"

"I'm not getting in trouble just so that you can flirt with some guy."

"Fine," Keiko sighed. "I'm not too far from him anyways."

"Do you mean Saotome-san?" Azumi asked. "I heard he's a serious martial artist, lives at a dojo and everything."

"Interesting," Keiko said. "What else have you got?"

"That's it so far. He's not too talkative."

"Keep digging."

"Aye aye, boss," Azumi promised. She glanced over at Sumiko. "Mendou-san, aren't you going to eat anything?"

"I'm not hungry," Sumiko replied.

"Sumiko-chan doesn't eat lunch very often," Keiko hurriedly explained. "I think she just pigs out at breakfast and dinner."

"That's not very healthy," Azumi pointed out.

"It's fine," Sumiko responded irritably.

Azumi nodded. "If you say so," she replied easily. "Well, I'm going to go see what I can find out. Kinuka-chan, do you want to come with me?"

The shorter girl shrugged. "Sure," she agreed.

Keiko waited until the two were out of earshot. "You idiot," she hissed. "Why do you have to be so mean to everyone?"

"I'm not," Sumiko denied. "Why is it anyone's business if I eat lunch or not."

"Because Azumi-chan's really nice," Keiko retorted. "She was just worried about you."

"I don't need anyone worrying about me," Sumiko muttered.

"That's why you never make any friends."

"Oh, who needs them? Anyways, you just use them to find out about boys." Sumiko ignored the faint flickering of lightning starting to form around the other girl. "That's probably the only reason you talk to anybody."

The flashes of electricity abruptly stopped. "You're such an idiot," Keiko whispered, her eyes starting to tear up. Rising into the air, she headed out of the room at high speed.

"Good riddance," Sumiko murmured as she put her head down on her desk.

* * *

Sumiko glanced impatiently up at the clock on the wall. She knew exactly what time it was, but she still felt oddly compelled to confirm it. The day had really been dragging on ever since lunch.

Keiko hadn't so much as said a word to her since then. Sumiko could still practically feel waves of anger coming from the half oni.

The English teacher strode into class 1-4 feeling pretty good. It was a beautiful day, the start of a new school year, and he only had one period left to go.

His good mood was crushed the moment he spied the horned girl with green hair glaring fiercely at the girl sitting in front of her.

He hurriedly checked the wrinkled roll book, already suspecting what he would find there. "Oh no," he murmured as he found the other girl's name on the list. "Not both of them. They wouldn't do this to me. Not again."

He immediately thought about walking out. After this many years of teaching surely he could find a position at one of the other schools in the area.

The teacher took another look at the expectant class. There were quite a few unique looking students here. It was definitely a bad situation. He started to slowly edge back towards the door.

"Excuse me, sensei?" one of the girls in the front row piped up.

He stopped in his tracks. "Yes?" he answered nervously as he eyed the remaining distance to freedom.

"You'll be teaching us English, right?" She suddenly beamed. "I really love learning languages, so I can't wait."

His eyes snapped wide open. "You really want to learn it?" he half whispered.

"Yeah," she replied. "My parents are always saying that there's nothing more important than a good education."

The teacher dumbly nodded. He took another look at the room. There were more than a few students who actually looked like they were serious about learning. The way things looked, he suspected they were going to have a rough time of it. If he left now, the class would likely go burn through quite a few teachers in short order.

But deep down inside he knew he could handle it. He had done so in the past, and he could do so once more. He would not see another class dubbed the classroom of failure.

Sighing deeply, he stepped back over to the desk and resolutely set his course book down.

"Good afternoon, students. My name is Onsen-Mark. I'll be teaching you English from now on, so please take care of me."

"Hi Onsen-Mark-Sensei," a familiar voice called out.

"Good afternoon, Moroboshi-san," he replied in a much friendlier tone than he had intended. It was going to be hard to be gruff with someone he had known since she was a tiny baby.

Oh well. The past sixteen long peaceful years had been a pretty good break. It was time to get back to work.


	2. First Day Aftermath

Sumiko waited nervously in her seat until the rest of the class had all left. She certainly wasn't afraid of Keiko, but still she had no desire to run into the girl outside.

"Mendou-san," Onsen-Mark called out to her from the doorway. "Is everything all right?"

She jumped as if startled. "Yes, sensei. I'll be leaving in a moment."

"Ok," he replied. "See you tomorrow then." He was halfway out the door when he stopped again. "By the way, how is your father doing these days?"

An odd expression flitted across her face. "He's doing fine," she answered. "He's been really busy with work though."

"Ah," Onsen-Mark replied, not sure what else to say to her. The poor girl had sat there looking miserable the entire class period, but thankfully she hadn't started any trouble.

With a sigh he leaned back carefully against the wall. "You know, your father used to give me a lot of trouble back in the day. "

"So I've heard."

"Him and that Moroboshi boy, between the two of them they nearly drove me nuts," he continued. "Day in and day out they were always fighting over something."

"They still argue a lot," she pointed out.

"I'll bet they do," he chuckled. "But they still get along pretty well. I wonder why that is?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea, sensei"

He nodded reflectively, looking almost sad for a moment. "I was a lot younger back then," he mused. "I don't know if I could deal with another year like that one."

"I'll try not to cause you any trouble," Sumiko promised.

"Don't worry about that. Just try to have some fun," he sighed as he pushed himself back up straight. "High school will be over before you know it." He smiled and left the room without another word.

It was a few more minutes before Sumiko turned out the lights and stepped out of the empty classroom. She never noticed the green-haired girl watching quietly from just outside the window.

* * *

"Stupid piece of junk."

"Are you sure you don't want a ride home, young mistress?" The chauffeur scratched his head nervously as he watched the girl deliver another fierce kick to the jetpack lying on the ground.

Sumiko shook her head. "Just go on back for now," she replied. "I'll call if I need you."

"Ok," he replied. "I'll be in the area if you need me."

She watched in silence as the vintage Mercedes pulled slowly away from the school gates. This was just great. As if her day hadn't been bad enough, now the stupid jetpack wouldn't start up. After all her boasting about the stupid thing, it would be humiliating to have to be driven home.

With a frustrated sigh she plopped down on the ground and started digging her small toolkit out of her pocket. She prided herself on always keeping the essentials close at hand.

In just a couple of minutes she had the outer casing off and was diligently inspecting the internal mechanisms. Most likely a wire had just came loose somewhere when she had crashed that morning.

This stuff was just all so primitive. The oni had tiny little belt thrusters that could out fly her clunky contraption without even trying. She wished for the thousandth time that access to alien technology wasn't so tightly controlled.

A shadow suddenly appeared over her shoulder. "Busted, huh?" a familiar voice asked.

Sumiko didn't bother to look up. "I'll have it fixed pretty soon," she growled. "Assuming you stop blocking my light."

Keiko quickly darted around to the other side of the jetpack and settled down on the ground. "What do you think is wrong with it?"

"I'm not sure yet," Sumiko admitted reluctantly. "Everything looks ok."

"It's not out of fuel is it?"

"No," she groaned. "I'm not an idiot."

"I didn't say you were," Keiko replied. An uneasy silence fell on the two as she watched Sumiko fiddle with the electronics.

"Sorry about earlier."

Keiko looked up in surprise.

"It's just been a long day," Sumiko continued, her eyes never leaving her work. "I'll try to be nicer to everyone from now on."

"I'll hold you to that," Keiko promised. She grinned. "I really hope we can have a fun year together."

A loud tortured whine from the engines drowned out whatever Sumiko was about to say. Her tools were violently flung out of her hands as the jetpack suddenly shot off like a rocket down the street.

The two watched in shocked silence for a moment as the jetpack quickly receded into the distance.

"Oh crap!" Sumiko yelled as she leapt to her feet and sprinted after it.

"You'll never catch it that way," Keiko shouted as she zoomed past.

Sumiko kept running, but despite her best efforts both the jetpack and her friend were soon out of sight.

"Damn it," she cursed as she slowed to a fast walk. She could only pray that the stupid thing ran out of fuel before it hurt someone.

She quickly dialed up her chauffeur's number. "I need a pickup now," she informed him, trying to keep the panic out of her voice.

"On the way," he replied as he checked her location on his car's GPS screen.

* * *

It was nearly a half hour before they found what was left of the jetpack. It had ricocheted around and damaged a couple of walls before the remains of the engines had ended up embedded in the side of a parked car almost two miles away.

Keiko looked relieved as Sumiko's Mercedes roared around the corner. "See, I told you she was coming," she told the car's furious owner.

Sumiko hopped out as soon as the driver came to a stop. "I'm really sorry about this," she apologized as she looked over at the totaled car. "Nobody got hurt, did they?"

"Sorry nothing, are you prepared to take responsibility for this?" the elderly owner demanded. He shoved a finger in her face. "I saved up for years to buy that car." He huffed. "I knew as soon as I saw this demon girl poking around that something was up."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll fix everything," Sumiko replied hastily. Turning away from him, she briefly tried to wrench one of the engines loose from the frame of the car. She gave up after a couple of unsuccessfully tries and turned her attention back to the owner. "Give me just a moment and I'll make all the arrangements."

He watched suspiciously as she stepped back into her own car to make some calls.

"What a pain," he muttered after a couple of minutes. "These rich brats just think they can do whatever they want and there won't be any consequences."

Keiko discreetly rolled her eyes, having already listened to the man's griping for a while now. "I already told you it was an accident."

"Accident nothing, you teenagers are a menace!" He shook his head. "And your kind are the worst. I remember back when you blasted aliens tried to destroy the whole city."

She decided to just ignore that one. It was hard to get offended over something that happed before you were born.

He was about to open his mouth again when a shiny black tow truck came screeching up. A slender man in a crisp black suit and sunglasses stepped out and sized up the situation in a glance.

"This is the car that got damaged?" he demanded.

The owner nodded nervously. "Yeah, but who are you? You with the government or something?"

"Not exactly," the man replied. He looked at the ruined car for a moment. "Did you have any personal effects in this car? "

"No," the owner answered, looking confused.

Ok, let's get it out of here."

The tow truck driver expertly wheeled the truck around to the front of the car and threw it in park. Hopping out, he expertly started attaching tow chains.

"Wait just a minute," the elderly man protested. "What are you guys doing?"

The man in black stepped up close and peered down at the owner. "There are proprietary trade secrets of the Mendou Corporation lodged in the side of this vehicle, sir. It is imperative that we retrieve them as quickly as possible. I'm sure you understand."

The owner stumbled back a step. "You can't just take my car," he protested. "What are you guys, Yakuza or something?"

"We can, and we will," the man replied, his voice betraying no hint of emotion. He snapped his wrist up and checked his watch. "And no, we are not the Yakuza. You will be well compensated for your trouble."

The engine of the tow truck started up just as a car nearly identical to the damaged one pulled onto the street. It pulled neatly into the space left by the departing truck and the black suited driver stepped out.

"Your keys, sir," the driver said, pressing them firmly into the old man's hands. "The Mendou Corporation apologizes for your inconvenience. I hope this replacement will be satisfactory. It has less than four thousand kilometers on it, it runs great, and both the interior and exterior been freshly sanitized."

Sumiko rejoined them with a wry smile on her face. "I want to apologize once again," she said briskly. "Please accept this gift as a sign of good will from the Mendou Family."

The first black-suited man thrust at the stunned owner an envelope with a crisp stack of 10,000-yen bills peeking out. "I trust that you will keep this whole unfortunate incident to yourself."

"Sure, sure," the old man promised greedily as he snatched the envelope. "Whatever you guys say."

"I believe we're done here, young mistress," the man announced. "Moroboshi-sama, do you require an escort home?"

"Oh no," Keiko replied, trying hard not to laugh. "Thanks anyways though."

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Keiko-chan," Sumiko called out her as she headed back to the Mercedes, her entourage in tow. "Thanks for all the help."

"No problem," Keiko yelled back as she took to the air. "See you later."

* * *

"So, how was your day, honey?"

Sumiko gave her mother a wary glance. "It was ok."

"That's good," her mother replied. "Did anything interesting happen?"

"Not really."

"You didn't wreck that jetpack?"

Sumiko flinched. "Sorry," she muttered.

"You weren't injured, were you?" he father asked, setting down his chopsticks for a moment.

"No, Father, I'm fine," she replied.

"Try to be more careful from now on," he admonished her. "Your mother told you she wasn't done testing that thing."

"Sorry," she repeated. "I just wanted to try it out."

"I understand," he replied. "We just don't want anything to happen to you."

"I think we'll have to start over from scratch," her mother mused. "There wasn't much to salvage." She shook her head. "Obviously there were some flaws in the design, so it's really my fault."

Shutaro grinned. "I never thought I'd hear you admit one of your designs wasn't perfect, Sayomi."

"It was a good design," her mother retorted. "I'd like to see you do better."

He frowned and went back to eating his dinner.

"Keiko-chan's in my class," Sumiko announced, breaking the silence.

"Is she still chasing after boys all the time?" her father asked.

"Pretty much."

"How disgraceful," he replied jokingly. "She's definitely a Moroboshi."

"You weren't any better than Ataru," Sayomi scolded him. "You two were always fighting over girls."

"I was just trying to keep them safe from that wolf," he protested.

"I was watching," Sayomi reminded him. "Every single day."

He blushed. "Voyeur."

"You're the one who put me up there."

"I swear, I have the weirdest parents on earth," Sumiko muttered.

"There are plenty of people weirder than us," Sayomi replied. "Believe me."

"I'm certainly not weird," Shutaro insisted. "I've always been the normal one in the family."

"Speaking of that, have you seen Ryoko lately?"

"I think she's off on a trip in Europe again," he replied. "She just loves those old castles."

"Doesn't she have enough of them yet?" Sayomi sighed. "Oh well, I guess it keeps her out of trouble."

"Anything that keeps her out of my hair is a good thing," Shutaro insisted.

"It may be true that Miss Ryoko is a troubled spirit, but one should not be so cold to his own sister. Family is the most precious treasure one can have."

Shutaro regretfully looked over to his right. "When the hell did you sneak in here?"

The diminutive monk Cherry glared back from his seat on the edge of the table. "That is not important," he replied as he snatched a dumpling from Shutaro's plate.

The familiar rasp of Shutaro's sword sliding from its sheath was very conspicuous.

"Would you really begrudge a poor old man a meal?" Cherry asked, his eyes glistening.

"Come on, dear, put your sword away" Sayomi rebuked her husband. "It's not like you can't afford to be nice to the little monster once in a while."

"Your kindness is heartwarming," Cherry replied, his words distorted by the two dumplings he was eagerly stuffing in his mouth.

"If family is so important, how come you aren't with your own?" Shutaro demanded as he begrudgingly settled back down in his seat.

"Did they kick you out again, Cherry-sama?" Sumiko asked.

"I am a traveling monk. I go where I am needed," he proclaimed proudly.

"So that's a yes then?"

"Indeed."

"Why is it that you always end up here?" Shutaro demanded.

Cherry gave him a sharp look. "Because the food is always the best here."

"At least he's honest," Sayomi pointed out.

Sumiko suppressed a giggle. Though she dreaded lunchtime at school, dinner at home was always fun.

* * *

"I'm back," Keiko announced as she kicked off her shoes.

"Hey, kiddo," her father called out from the living room.

"Hi, Daddy," she called back. She looked in and found him glued to the TV. "Where's Mom?"

"Good question," he replied without taking his eyes off the screen.

"What are you watching?"

"No idea."

She watched for a moment. It looked to be in some kind of monster movie, but the dialogue was incomprehensible.

She shook her head. "There's like a million channels, why do you watch stuff you can't even understand?"

A shriek rang out as the monster advanced on an attractive alien woman in a skimpy swimsuit.

"Honestly, Daddy."

Ataru grinned. "Shhh, this is a good part."

"Fine," she replied. "I'm going to go find Mom."

"Ask her how long until dinner's ready," he called out as she left the room.

After finding the kitchen empty, Keiko headed upstairs. "Mom, are you up here?"

"Yes," her mother answered absentmindedly.

"What are you doing?" Keiko asked as she flew into her parents' room.

Lum peeked out of the closet. "Have you seen my yellow blouse? I just know it was in here."

"No, I haven't seen it" Keiko replied nervously.

"Darn it," Lum muttered as she resumed her search. "Did you have a good day?"

"Pretty good, I guess."

Lum nodded. "I remember my first day of high school was a lot of fun. I used to follow your father to class every day, even before I enrolled there."

"I'll bet Daddy just loved that."

"I'm sure he appreciated the attention," Lum replied. She sighed. "I don't think it's in here."

"I'm sure it'll turn up," Keiko assured her. She made a mental note to return the blouse as soon as she figured out a way to remove a rather large soy sauce stain. "Anyways, Daddy wanted to know when we would be eating."

"I haven't even started dinner yet," Lum realized. "Is he still watching that weird movie?"

"Yep."

"Good, that'll keep Darling quiet for a bit longer while I throw something together."

"Why don't we just order some takeout again?" Keiko suggested. "It'd be faster, and you wouldn't have to cook."

Lum pondered for a moment. "We really shouldn't do that so much...."

Keiko shrugged as she out into the hallway. "It's up to you, Mom. I'll be in my room if you need me." Not hearing an answer, she went into her own room and closed the door behind her.

"What a day," she moaned as she sprawled out across her bed. "I hope tomorrow's better." Hopefully Sumiko would remember her promise and be nicer from now on. It would be much more fun in class if everyone could get along.

She thought about her new classmates carefully. That Saotome guy certainly was cute. And after class Azumi had managed to discover that he was single as well. So far he seemed like the top choice.

Then there was the blonde-haired guy that sat on her left. He wasn't bad looking by any means, and he had a nice voice. On the other hand, he was pretty short for a boy.

And there was that guy sitting up front. If she remembered correctly, Ririshii was his name. He was very handsome, but she had heard in the past that he was pretty stuck up.

She sighed. There were several interesting candidates in the class. Making a choice of which ones to pursue would be difficult.

She wondered for the thousandth time why it was so much work finding a decent guy. Every time she found one that was cute, he turned out to be either a jerk, utterly boring, or already taken. She guessed that it didn't help that she had a bit of a reputation for dumping guys at the drop of a hat. But it didn't make any sense to keep going out with a guy who didn't fit the bill.

Oh well, tomorrow was another day.

* * *

A sharp rap on the door woke Keiko up from her nap. "Food's here."

"Ok, Daddy," she replied sleepily as she hovered out of bed. Yawning, she made her left her room and floated downstairs after her father.

"So you ordered out for noodles after all," she noted, seeing the take out boxes sitting next to the table.

"It was faster," her mother explained as she doled out a hearty serving on their plates. "We really should start eating healthier though."

"What's wrong with Chinese noodles?" Ataru asked as he took his seat and eagerly eyed the food.

"You're getting fat again," Lum pointed out bluntly. "We need to get you on a diet. And you could really use more exercise."

"Who has time?" he muttered. "Anyways, what's the point of living if you can't enjoy life?"

Lum shook her head as she settled down next to him. "I'd like to have you still around when I'm old and gray."

He frowned, his expression suddenly serious. "I'm not going anywhere, Lum."

"You'd better not," Lum growled. "I'll chase you all the way to hell if I have to."

Keiko rolled her eyes. "Can't we have one meal without you two arguing?"

"We're not arguing," Lum protested.

"Do you think I'm fat?" Ataru asked his daughter plaintively.

"Yes, Daddy," Keiko retorted. "You should listen to Mom."

"You always take her side," he muttered.

"That's because I'm always right," Lum replied sweetly.

"Uh huh," Ataru mumbled. "Obviously I have no allies here."

"Pass the hot sauce, please," Keiko interrupted. She took the bottle from her mother. "Did you want any, Daddy?"

"You know better than that," he retorted.

She giggled. "Poor Daddy, you need to toughen up."

"Now now, don't tease Darling."

"Where's the respect?" Ataru muttered as he started eating.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Lum scolded him.

"Daddy, guess who my English teacher is." Keiko demanded. "It's someone we know."

"You're kidding," her father replied. "Onsen-Mark? Seriously?"

"Yep."

"Wow, you'd think he would have retired by now," Ataru mused. He suddenly laughed. "You have to give him hell for me."

"Darling!" Lum shot Keiko a stern look. "Don't listen to him," she scolded. "You be on your best behavior."

"I will" Keiko promised. "I like Onsen-Mark-sensei."

"Are you sure that she's really my daughter?" Ataru asked.

"Quite sure, Darling," Lum retorted irritably.

"How can you say something like that, Daddy?" Keiko demanded, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Hey, don't cry. I was just kidding!" he protested anxiously.

She stuck her tongue out at him and grinned. "So was I."

He glared at her a moment before he resumed eating.

"You two are exactly alike," Lum pointed out.

"I don't see it," Keiko protested.

* * *

"Came by car today?"

Sumiko nodded. "Yes," she answered regretfully. "My mom said I have to for a while. Plus she said I have to start getting up earlier so I'm not almost late."

Keiko suppressed a giggle. "Too bad you can't fly on your own."

"That would be nice," Sumiko admitted. She knocked the heel of her shoe on the floor, making sure it was on securely. "Physical education starts today, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, I think so," Keiko replied as she trailed along towards their classroom. "Did you bring your gym clothes?"

"Yes, of course I did."

"I'm already wearing mine under my uniform."

Sumiko stared at her friend for a moment. "Are you still in grade school?"

"It'll be faster to change this way," Keiko protested.

"I hope you're at least planning to take them off after gym class. You'll never get a guy if you stink."

Keiko sighed. "I know that much," she replied. "You're lucky, you don't have to worry about that."

"I'm not worried about getting guys anyhow," Sumiko retorted. "Even so, I like to keep myself presentable."

"Just remember to keep your personality presentable," Keiko advised. "You promised."

"Yeah, yeah." Sumiko slid open the door of the classroom. "Here we go again."

"Try to have some fun today."

"Try to pay attention to the lectures today," Sumiko retorted. "I'm not going to let you copy my notes all year."

"So stingy."

Sumiko put her bag on its hook and sat down. "I wonder if the teacher will be late again."

"Hi, my name is Moroboshi Keiko! But you can just call me Keiko-chan, ok?"

"Huh?" Sumiko glanced around, only to find her friend trying to strike up a conversation with the boy next to her.

"Uh, hi," the blonde-haired boy stuttered. "I'm Len."

"Nice to meet you, Len-kun," Keiko said with a wide grin. "I don't remember seeing you in junior high."

"Oh, well, we just moved into the area," Len explained. He looked a bit nervous. "So you wouldn't have seen me around here before."

She flipped out a small notebook and started jotting something down. "I see. So, what do you like to do for fun?"

"Oh, um, I really like to sing," he admitted.

"That explains that headset your wearing," Keiko commented. "So you do Karaoke a lot?"

"Um, sometimes," he admitted. "Me and my sister go sometimes."

"Ah, so you're close to your sister," Keiko noted.

"I guess so," he replied. "I mean, we're twins and everything, so we kind of have to be."

"Very interesting." She was writing at top speed now. "So when's your birthday?"

"December twelfth," he answered reluctantly.

"Oh wow, that's just one day before mine," Keiko pointed out. "What are the chances?"

"It's still pretty cold in March," Sumiko commented to no one in particular.

Keiko blushed. "Anyways, I think that's enough for now. We'll talk more later."

Len looked confused. "Ah, ok."

Carefully filing away her notebook in her top, Keiko turned spun around in her seat and poked her friend in the back. "Don't say unnecessary things."

"Eh?"

"Sorry I'm late again!" their homeroom teacher announced as she rushed into the room.

"Sensei, you're not late," the girl sitting at the front of Keiko's row pointed out. "The bell hasn't sounded yet."

"Oh, it hasn't?" The teacher looked abashed for a moment. "Well, I'll be right back then." She rushed back out of the room just as quickly as she had entered.

"Honestly," Sumiko muttered. "This is what public school is like?"

"Not usually," Keiko protested. "Modoki-sensei is just weird."

Sumiko shook her head. There was a lot of weirdness around her. Something about that Len boy seemed off, for example. And then there was that girl in the front row, Kobe Edy. There was something very odd about her, though Sumiko couldn't quite pinpoint it.

Kinuka came slinking into the classroom at that moment. Without a word she crossed the room and settled down in her seat next to Sumiko.

"Hi, Kinuka-chan," Keiko greeted her.

"Morning," Kinuka responded without looking.

"Hello, Inutaisho-san," Sumiko politely. She had promised to try harder today.

Kinuka simply nodded in reply.

"I wonder where Azumi-chan is," Keiko piped up. "Have you seen her today?"

Kinuka shook her head.

"She's usually early," Keiko mused. She abruptly forgot about her friend as anther student stepped into the classroom. "Oh, it's Saotome-kun," Keiko whispered.

"You're awfully familiar with someone you haven't even talked to yet," Sumiko pointed out.

"Details," Keiko declared dismissively.

"Good morning, Kenma-kun," one of the girls on the far side of the room called out.

The boy looked surprised, but simply nodded and continued on to his seat.

"Ugh," Keiko bit out quietly. "That Hidemi-chan. I can't stand her."

"How come?" Sumiko asked.

"She's always stealing all the guys that I like," Keiko hissed in her ear. "Just because she's so pretty and her parents are rich, she always acts like she is the queen of the school or something."

"Your family isn't exactly poor," Sumiko reminded her.

"Yeah, but we don't flaunt it."

"That is true," Sumiko agreed. "What about me?"

"You're a Mendou, so it's in your blood to be a little haughty," Keiko pointed out. "But at least you don't go around bragging about it all the time."

"Haughty?"

Before Keiko could reply, the bell rang. Azumi came sprinting into the class a moment later, followed closely by their returning teacher.

"Takamura-san, no running," Mako scolded her as she slammed the door shut behind her. "Also, you're late!"

"Sorry, sensei," Azumi apologized as she took her seat in the back of the room.

"I'll look over it just this once," Mako replied. "But really class, by the time that bell rings, everyone needs to be in their seat and ready for roll call.

A hand shot up in the back corner.

"Yes, um, Yoshito-san, what is it?"

"Does that include you, sensei?'

"I'm doing the best I can, so lay off!" Mako responded heatedly.

"I respectfully withdraw my question," he replied with a deadpan expression.

Mako quickly scanned the room. "It looks like everyone's here again except for Rokudo-san," she announced. "Does anyone know why he hasn't shown up yet?"

There was a bit of murmuring, but no one appeared to have any information about him.

"Oh well," Mako said with a shrug. "I guess he'll turn up. Now let's get started.


	3. Friendship Forging

"I guess it's lunchtime again," Sumiko noted distastefully.

"Yep," Keiko replied happily as she hopped out of her seat and snagged her friend's arm. "Come on."

Sumiko frowned as she allowed herself to be half dragged out of her seat. "Where are we going?"

"Outside," Keiko announced. "It's a beautiful day, and it's more private out there."

"Fine, I'm coming," Sumiko griped as she shook herself loose. "What do you need privacy for?"

"Never mind that, just hurry up," Keiko insisted as she led the way out of the room.

Sumiko dutifully changed her shoes and followed her impatient friend out of the building and around the side of the school. With a satisfied grin, Keiko finally stopped underneath a large tree.

"I figured this would be a good spot," Keiko announced. She plopped down on the ground and neatly set her bento down next to her.

Sumiko leaned carefully back against the tree, hoping the bark wouldn't dirty her uniform. "Now what?"

"Where's Azumi-chan?" Keiko inquired a loudly.

"She's coming," a soft voice announced from above them.

Sumiko glanced up. Someone was laying down on a branch overhead, nearly hidden by the foliage. She quickly figured out whom it was by the long white locks swaying back and forth in the gentle breeze.

"How did you get out here so fast?" Sumiko demanded.

"She probably jumped out the window," Keiko explained. "She's been doing that stuff since we were in grade school."

"Well, I guess our class is on the first floor, but still."

"At Tomobiki Junior High we were on the third floor," Keiko replied. "That didn't bother her. She's a good jumper."

"It's not a big deal," Kinuka called down.

"She's a really good climber too," Keiko continued. "Plus she's always the fastest runner in P.E. class."

"Oh, really?" Sumiko replied. "She seems so quiet, I wouldn't have guessed."

"It's no big deal," Kinuka insisted irritably.

"There's Azumi-chan!" Keiko announced happily.

The tall girl nearly tripped in her haste to reach them. "Keiko-chan, get up off that filthy ground," Azumi scolded as she put down her lunch bag and started unfolding a small blanket. "I brought this thing for a reason."

Keiko hopped up and helped Azumi spread out the blanket. "Are you coming down, Kinuka-chan?" she asked.

The girl landed effortlessly beside them and settled down cross-legged on the blanket.

"Sit down, Sumiko-chan," Keiko ordered.

"I'm ok here," Sumiko replied.

"Sit."

Sumiko reluctantly settled down between Kinuka and Keiko.

"Ok, food first, then business," Keiko replied as she popped the lid off her bento. She peered inside and sighed. "I need a bigger lunch."

"You've been saying that for years," Azumi reminded her.

"And it becomes more true every year," Keiko retorted.

Azumi snorted and dug out a pair of bento boxes from her bag. "Here," she said to Sumiko in a tone that brooked no argument. "Take this one. I accidentally made too much this morning."

"Oh, you don't have to…" Sumiko started to protest, but Azumi's expression made her think better of it. "Well, okay," she replied. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome," Azumi replied happily. "Make sure you eat it all."

Sumiko lifted the lid and was surprised to see the careful arrangement of the food within. "Wow, this must have taken you a while," she marveled.

"Not really," Azumi replied. "I always make my little brother and sister's lunches too."

"Well, I appreciate it," Sumiko replied as she popped one of the tiny sausages in her mouth. Her father surely would have appreciated how each one had been cut into the shape of an octopus.

"Does it taste alright?"

Sumiko nodded. "It's great," she replied.

"You should stop eating so much at breakfast and just bring your own lunch," Keiko suggested. "Then Azumi-chan wouldn't have to worry about you."

"I wasn't worried," Azumi hastily protested. "I told you, I just made too much. You're doing me a favor by eating it."

"Maybe I will start bringing my lunch," Sumiko agreed hesitantly. It was definitely a bother, but it seemed like it would be necessary to put her classmate at ease. The Mendou family chef undoubtedly wouldn't mind throwing something together for her in the mornings.

The four ate their lunches in relative silence. Keiko, having already plundered her lunch during class time, finished eating quickly and leaned back with a satisfied smile. Sumiko at first tried to pace herself along with the other two girls, but after observing Kinuka greedily wolfing down her noodles, she decided just to copy Azumi.

"I guess you were hungry," Azumi noted as she accepted back the now empty bento.

"I guess so. Thanks again," Sumiko told her.

"Think nothing of it," Azumi replied happily.

"So now that we've eaten," Keiko spoke up, "back to business as usual."

"Is this business just asking about boys again?" Sumiko demanded.

"Of course it is," Keiko replied, looking surprised.

Sumiko sighed. "Whatever, please continue."

"Well, I've been digging around some more," Azumi announced. "The one you are most interested in is Saotome-san, right?"

"He does seem to be the most interesting."

"How long have they been doing this?" Sumiko whispered to Kinuka.

"Since seventh grade," Kinuka answered quietly. "That's when they met."

"Pay attention, you two!" Keiko scolded. She turned her attention back to Azumi. "So, what's the scoop?"

"I found out that before this he went to Furinkan Junior High. I'm not sure why he decided to come to our high school instead of a closer one." Azumi idly tapped a finger on the side of her forehead. "He was absent a lot in middle school because he went on a trips with his grandfather. Apparently they went off and did martial arts training in the wilderness or something."

"Definitely a unique upbringing," Keiko noted. "What about his personality?"

"He's always polite and never seems to lose his temper. On the other hand he doesn't try to make friends, and he's always very quiet."

"Maybe he just needs an outgoing girl to bring him out of his shell," Keiko mused happily.

"Perhaps," Azumi replied. "Moving on, avoid Ririshii-san at all costs. I'm sure you've heard about his horrid reputation. All the nasty rumors about him only being interested in one thing are true."

"What about that guy who sits behind Keiko-chan?" Sumiko spoke up.

"Noroi-san is just your average run of the mill guy, there's nothing much to say about him."

"Yeah, he's a bore," Keiko agreed. "We ruled him out last year."

"You already ruled out Kasuga-kun too," Azumi pointed out. "As for Yoshito-san...."

"He's a nut," Keiko blurted out. "No way are we even discussing him."

"How about Himura-san, then," Sumiko continued, not even knowing why she was participating.

"He seems nice enough, but he's a bit conceited," Azumi replied. "I hear that both he and Udagawa-san are going to try out for the Kendo club."

"They'll both make it," Kinuka predicted. Her confident tone quickly turned into embarrassment when the others turned their attention to her. "I saw them practicing the other day," she muttered. "They're good."

"Are you sure you're not interested in Himura-san?" Keiko teased.

"Positive."

"Well, I think we've covered every guy in the class now," Azumi pointed out.

"What about that guy who never shows up," Keiko mused.

"Rokudo-san?" Azumi asked. "You've got me there. No one has even heard of him before."

Keiko frowned. "I guess we'll wait and see then."

"I'm surprised that you're limiting yourself to just the boys in our class," Sumiko said.

"I'm not," Keiko replied. "But it's a lot harder to meet guys in other classes. If nothing pans out here then I'll start looking elsewhere during lunch."

"Ah, I see," Sumiko answered. "That makes sense."

"Tomorrow during lunch I think I'll introduce myself to Saotome-san," Keiko announced. "I'll bet I can get his phone number if I try."

"I'll take that bet," Azumi quickly replied.

"Standard wager?" Keiko asked, her eyes flashing.

"Yep, one can of juice," Azumi confirmed.

"Do they do this a lot?" Sumiko asked.

Kinuka nodded. "Azumi-chan mostly wins."

"This time will be different!" Keiko proclaimed. "I feel very confidant about this one."

"You always say that," Azumi pointed out.

"Well, I have to be right occasionally."

* * *

Another day of classes was over already. Despite the fact that she hated for Keiko to be right, Sumiko had to admit that today had been more pleasant than the day before. Azumi had turned out to be extremely nice, and while Kinuka didn't tend to say much, her dry observations of the other two were quite enjoyable.

Having just finished helping with cleaning duties, Sumiko was about to head out when she heard someone call out her name.

"Wait up Sumiko-chan!"

Sumiko stopped in her tracks and dutifully waited for the other girls to finish putting on their shoes.

"We're all going to a tea shop for a bit," Keiko announced. "Do you want to come?"

"Uh," Sumiko replied, "I don't know. I have some stuff to do at home."

"Oh, come on. Azumi-chan and Kinuka-chan both want you to come."

"That's right, Mendou-san," Azumi said. "Please come with us. It'll be more fun if you do."

Kinuka nodded shyly in agreement.

"Well, I guess I can," Sumiko relented. Her current project could wait for another day. If she was really going to put some effort into making friends, then she couldn't do things half way.

"Good." Keiko smiled. "We won't all have time for this kind of thing once club meetings start."

"Why? Are you joining a club?" Sumiko inquired.

"I haven't decided yet, but Azumi-chan already joined the Journalism Club." Keiko glanced at Kinuka. "Did you decide if you're going to join one?"

"Can't," Kinuka answered wistfully. "I have to help out at our shrine too much."

"That's a shame," Keiko replied. "I'll bet half the athletic clubs would love to have you join."

"It can't be helped."

"What about you, Sumiko-chan?" Keiko asked.

"I'm not planning on joining anything."

Keiko shrugged. "It's up to you." She took to the air and headed towards the front doors. "Let's get going. I know a nice place that's not too far away."

The three girls scrambled to follow their flying friend. Even with her shorter legs, Kinuka had no trouble keeping up with the Keiko. However the other two had to shout at them to slow down several times on the way to the shop. It was only a few blocks, but by the time they got there Azumi was practically wheezing.

"I can understand Azumi-chan falling behind, but I don't know why you're so slow," Keiko whispered to Sumiko as they went inside the modest shop.

"So I'm slow," Sumiko hissed back. "I've never needed to be all that fast."

"At least you're not out of breath," Azumi panted. "I guess I really need to get in shape."

"You're so skinny though," Keiko noted. "You just need to work on your stamina."

"I guess so," Azumi agreed. "But Kinuka-chan, you really are impressive."

Kinuka blushed and looked away.

"There's a good table," Keiko pointed out. She led the way over and plopped down in a seat as if proud of herself.

"What can I get for you girls today?" a waitress asked as the others seated themselves.

"I just want lemonade," Keiko replied.

"I'll take green tea," Azumi spoke up.

"Iced tea," Kinuka requested.

Sumiko thought for a moment. "Ice water will be fine."

"I'll be right back with your order," the waitress told them with a smile.

"Ice water is pretty plain, isn't it?" Azumi asked cautiously.

Sumiko shrugged. "I like it," she replied politely.

Azumi smiled. "You seem like you're in a much better mood today, Mendou-san."

"Ah, yeah," Sumiko replied. "Yesterday was kind of a bad day for me. Sorry if I was being rude, I didn't mean to be."

"Don't worry about it," Azumi replied cheerfully. "We all have our off days." She thought for a moment. "So you're a Mendou, huh? What's it like being so rich? You must live like a princess, right?"

"I guess so," Sumiko replied nervously.

"You should invite everyone over sometime," Keiko told her. "I haven't been to your house in months now." She grinned. "I tell you, that place is huge. They've got this giant swimming pool, and fancy cars everywhere, and everything else that you could think of."

"I see," Azumi replied, her eyes wide. "Wow, I really want to see it sometime."

"That would be fun," Sumiko agreed, still sounding a bit tense. "I'll have to arrange something soon."

"Really? That's great!" Azumi continued. "I'd invite everyone over to my house sometime, but my brother and sister can get pretty annoying sometimes."

"I'm kind of glad that I'm an only child," Keiko commented. "But my parents act like children half the time anyways."

"I think that you're too hard on them," Azumi replied. "I wish my dad was as laid back as yours is."

"That's the problem, he's way too laid back," Keiko complained. "Sometimes I wish he was a bit more serious."

Sumiko noticed that Kinuka looked a bit depressed. "What are your parents like, Inutaisho-san?"

Kinuka looked up in surprise. "Um, they're pretty normal, I guess," she said quietly.

"Enough about parents," Azumi said quickly. "I want to hear more about you, Mendou-san. Are you really some kind of mechanical genius?"

"Not really," Sumiko replied. "I just tinker around for fun."

"Don't be so bashful," Keiko scolded. "I don't even know what half of the stuff you've shown me does."

"That's because half of them didn't work," Sumiko retorted, her face becoming flushed. "I have a really high failure rate."

The four fell silent as the waitress quickly set out their drinks.

"Well, I guess that is true," Keiko finally admitted, breaking the awkward silence. She winced at the glare Sumiko gave her. "Don't look at me like that; you know that I've never had any luck with mechanical stuff."

"Now that's an understatement," Sumiko grumbled, prompted a giggle from Azumi.

"Mendou-san, I'm really glad you decided to come," the tall girl said cheerfully. "Keiko-chan was right; you are a lot of fun to hang out with."

"Ah, thank you."

"I'm really excited about this club, but I'm going to miss being able to hang out after school," Azumi sighed. "I hope that we get some days off once in a while."

"If you want to be a great investigator, then you have to make sacrifices," Keiko reminded her. "I bet you'll learn a lot from your sempai."

"I hope so."

"So you want to be a reporter?" Sumiko asked.

Azumi nodded. "Well, I've always liked finding out things," she explained. "Plus I think it's really important these days for everyone to have access to accurate information."

"To put it plainly, she's a snoop and a gossip," Keiko slyly commented. "I can't think of anyone more suitable for it."

"Hey," Azumi protested. "You're the one who always asks me to get information on boys."

"That's because you're the best at it." Keiko frowned. "Half the time they won't even answer all of my questions. I think they're just intimidated by me."

"Yeah, I don't think that's the problem," Sumiko muttered.

"Are you trying to start something?" Keiko demanded.

"Oh, no. Not at all."

"So there really aren't any boys that Mendou-san is interested in? Not even a little bit?" Azumi butted in.

"Snoop," Keiko murmured.

"No way," Sumiko denied vehemently. "What use do I have for a guy?"

"You don't mean that you're interested in girls, do you?" Keiko asked, her tone suddenly serious.

She received a flat stare in reply.

"Ok, I got it, you're just a technophile."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, nothing," Keiko backpedaled with a grin.

"Shhh," Azumi hissed at them both. "You're getting too loud."

Sumiko blushed and lowered her head. "I just don't see the point in getting all lovey-dovey with a boy. It's just a waste of time."

"But guys are great," Keiko replied. "If I had a boyfriend, he would take me out on dates every weekend, and we could go skating and dancing and shopping all the time."

"Can't you do all that stuff with girls?" Sumiko asked. She blushed again at the others' suspicious expressions. "I'm not interested in girls!" she hissed.

"It's just not the same," Keiko protested, trying her best not to laugh.

Kinuka hastily drained the last of her tea and set it down on the table. "I need to go," she announced worriedly.

"Already?" Keiko whined. "We haven't been here long."

"I have chores," Kinuka explained as she stood up.

"Well, I wish you could stay longer, but thanks for coming out with us," Azumi told her. "I'll see you in class tomorrow."

"Later," Keiko piped up.

Kinuka nodded and gave them a slight smile before she left.

As soon as she was out the door, Azumi frowned. "I worry about that girl," she admitted.

"I know what you mean," Keiko agreed.

"Why?" Sumiko inquired. "Is it because she's so quiet?"

"No, she's always been like that," Azumi replied. "But she seems kind of down lately. I wonder if she's having trouble at home again."

"I hope not," Keiko replied.

Azumi noticed Sumiko's confused expression. "Kinuka-chan doesn't get along well with her parents," she explained quickly. "Especially her father. I don't think he's abusive or anything, but he's really intimidating to be around."

Keiko sighed. "I always wonder if that's why she's so quiet. It really makes me appreciate my own parents, even if they are kind of weird."

Sumiko and Azumi both nodded in agreement.

* * *

Kinuka took the stairs leading up to her family's shrine three at a time, but forced herself to slow to a walk as she crossed the courtyard to the house.

"I'm home," she cautiously announced as she opened the door.

"Welcome home, Kinuka."

"Hi, Grandfather," Kinuka warmly greeted the elderly man as she put away her shoes. She followed the sound of his voice into the family room. "Are you the only one home?'

"Your parents went out somewhere," he explained. "So it looks like it's just you and me tonight. We didn't get many visitors today, so I got all the chores done already."

Kinuka looked relieved. "That's really nice of you, but you shouldn't strain yourself," she replied. "Do you feel alright?"

"Eh, I'm not too old to handle a broom," he responded. "Anyways, it gave me something to do. Today was pretty boring," he admitted. He leaned back in his chair and scowled. "Just like every other day."

"Sorry I'm late, but I went to a tea shop with some of my friends," Kinuka explained.

"I'm glad to hear that," he replied. "You need to go out and have fun more often. You shouldn't spend so much time with an old fart like me."

"Don't say that. I love spending time with you," Kinuka protested.

"You're kind to an old man," he replied, his expression turning morose. "But I won't be around forever."

"You'd better be," she insisted. "Besides, you're in great health still, so don't talk like that."

"Aye, but I'm feeling my age more and more these days," he replied seriously.

She frowned and rapped him gently on the head. "Are you sure you didn't overdo it today, Grandfather?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," he replied. With a slight grunt he got to his feet and turned his gaze out the window. "Sorry if I've worried you."

"Just be more careful. I don't want anything to happen to you." Kinuka suddenly noticed that he was idly toying with the old string of beads that he always wore around his neck. "Grandfather, that necklace really means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

He hastily tucked the beads back into his robe. "Yeah, it does. It's a very old family heirloom, you know."

"You mentioned that before," she reminded him.

He nodded. "I'm sure I have."

"You've never told me the story behind it though."

"What makes you think there's a story behind it?" he laughed.

"Because you have an old story about everything," she retorted as she sat down cross-legged on the floor. "So what's this one about?"

"Ah, there's not much to tell," he replied as he settled back down in his seat. "The legends say that a powerful miko once created this necklace to subdue a demon." He smile turned wistful. "I don't think it has any magic left now."

She frowned. "That's it?"

"Well, there's probably a bit more to the legend, but I can't recall the rest just now," he explained apologetically. "Sorry."

"What kind of demon was it used to subdue?"

"The legend doesn't say," he sighed. "But if I had to guess, probably a very foolish one."

Kinuka smiled. "So why do you always wear it?"

"Oh, I don't know," he mused. "I suppose I just like it."

"Grandfather, you're kind of weird sometimes," she teased.

"Yes, I guess I am," he chuckled.

* * *

Sumiko idly hummed an old tune as she strolled down the street. It was starting to get late, but she was in no real hurry to get home. She'd already let her mother know that she was on her way back, so no one would be worried. It would have been faster to call the chauffeur to pick her up, but sometimes it was nice just to walk.

Despite Sumiko's good mood, her mind kept dwelling on Kinuka. It was lucky that she got on so well with her own parents. Her father was a bit uptight, but he made no secret of how proud he was of her. And her mother rarely got truly angry about anything. It was true that they were both busy a lot of the time, but they made the best of the time they could spend together.

Unfortunately tonight her father was far away at some meeting or another. Her mother, on the other hand, was planning pull an all-nighter on some project or another in the Mendou labs. The mansion would undoubtedly be empty except for a few servants and a half dozen or so octopuses. None of them tended to be all that enthralling of company.

Sumiko glanced up at the sky. It really was a nice evening, and there wasn't even a single cloud in sight. In fact it was clear enough that she could faintly make out the glow of the Trade Alliance station in high orbit above Tomobiki. The fact that the region was under constant surveillance was both reassuring and somewhat annoying at the same time.

She was still gazing up at the dark sky when she heard a startled yelp from behind her. She half turned just in time to glimpse a bulky object bearing down on her. Whatever it was slammed into her before she could even begin to react. The hard impact lifted her clean off her feet and sent her flying backwards through the air in a slow arc. The sickeningly loud crack of her head striking the hard pavement echoed across the night.


	4. First Contact

The audio receptors were the first system to come back online.

"I can't believe you," an unfamiliar male voice scolded. "What if she dies?"

"No, we can't just leave her here! What kind of bastard are you?"

"I don't care. I'm taking her to a hospital, and that's final."

Sumiko moaned softly as her other systems started one after another.

"Hey, I think she's waking up!"

Sumiko's entire body stiffened as she finished coming online. The first thing that she noticed was that there was an extensive list of warning messages clamoring for her attention. She scanned through a few of the most urgent, wondering what was going on. The last thing she could remember was peacefully walking home from the teashop.

She opened her eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the dim light. To her all she could see was a meaningless haze. She blinked to try to refocus her eyes, but her vision didn't get any clearer. She could only hope that the lenses were simply damaged.

"Are you awake?" the voice asked worriedly. "Don't worry, you're going to be ok."

Sumiko suddenly realized that she was being carried on someone's back. "What's going on," she groaned.

"Don't try to move," he told her. "You hit your head really hard. We're on our way to the hospital right now."

"The hospital?" she repeated dully. It was hard to concentrate with so many distractions. "Why are we going there?" With some difficulty she redirected her full attention to what was being said. "Wait, did you say the hospital?"

"Yeah, we should be there soon," he assured her. "Just try to stay calm."

"I can't go there!" she told him.

"Don't worry about the cost," he replied. "We'll pay the bill, I promise."

"It's not that," she protested. "Please, just put me down, I'll be fine."

"You probably have a concussion," the boy mused. "We should hurry."

"I said put me down!" she repeated, trying to squirm out of his grasp. Unfortunately she discovered that her limbs weren't responding very well at the moment. "I can't go to a hospital!"

"Why not?"

"I just can't," she bit out.

"Well, we're going whether you like it or not," he stated firmly.

Sumiko glared at what she assumed was the back of his head. Whoever this guy was, he didn't sound like he was going to listen. She turned her attention instead to her communication systems and made a test call.

"I need someone to come get me," she pleaded as soon as her chauffeur picked up the phone. "And please hurry."

"I'll be there in a couple of minutes," he assured her. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I must have passed out, and when I woke up some guy was carrying me. He's wanting to take me to a hospital."

"Just hold tight," her chauffeur told her. "I'm following your signal now."

"Thanks." She cut the connection and turned her attention back to finding the extent of her injuries. Aside from her eyes and her poor motor control, it seemed like she was mostly operational.

"Hey, are you ok?" the guy carrying her demanded. "You didn't fall asleep, did you?"

She decided to ignore him. If this guy wasn't going to listen to her, then there was no reason to waste time answering his questions.

"Damn it," he cursed as he picked up his pace. "Please be ok."

Sumiko remained quiet, but she started to feel a bit sorry for him. As annoying as he was, at least the guy was trying to help her. She knew it must be difficult to carry her like this. Despite her girlish figure she easily tipped the scales at over ninety kilograms.

Soon the distinctive sounds of squealing tires and a racing motor let her know that her car had arrived. It skidded to a stop noisily, and she heard the door quickly open.

"You there," she heard her chauffeur call out as he ran over. "Please assist me in getting the young mistress in the car. I need to get her some help immediately!"

"Who are you?" the guy asked suspiciously.

"I'm a servant of the young mistress. Now hurry up."

"Please, listen to him," Sumiko requested. "He'll get me to someone that can help a lot quicker than you can."

The boy considered it for a moment. "Ok, if you're sure" he agreed reluctantly as he carefully bent down and lowered her to the ground.

Sumiko tottered back and forth unsteadily for a moment, not sure if her legs were going to hold her. Luckily the chauffeur was beside her in a flash and was able to guide her into her seat.

She sighed in relief as she sat down heavily.

"Hey, let me come along," the guy pleaded. "It's all my fault this happened."

"That's not necessary," Sumiko replied. "I'll be ok now."

"Thank you for the assistance, but I can take it from here," her chauffeur said pointedly. He hopped into the drivers seat and took off, not bothering to listen to any more of the guy's protests.

* * *

"Stay still while I see how bad it is, ok?"

Sumiko closed her eyes as her mother started carefully inspecting her head. "I 'm still not sure what happened," she said anxiously. "I must have fallen down or something." She fell silent as she heard a sharp intake of breath from her mother.

"You've heavily fractured your skull on the right side," her mother observed worriedly as she removed back a section of synthetic skin. "Whatever happened, you must have been hit really hard."

"Yeah, that's what I figured."

"So your vision's totally shot. What else is wrong?"

"I've lost most sensation in my legs and my right arm," Sumiko admitted. "Also the right audio input is fading in and out."

Sayomi gently turned her daughter's head to the side so that she could get a better look at the damage. "This is pretty bad," she commented. "I know it's thin, but I thought the ceramic composite we used would hold up better than this."

"Do you think there's much internal damage?" Sumiko asked nervously.

"I don't know yet. Hopefully things just got loosened up in there. But in any case, don't worry. Our best technicians are already on their way. We'll get you fixed up good as new in no time."

"Sorry about this. I know I'm holding up your work."

"That's not important right now," Sayomi retorted as she took another look at Sumiko's eyes. "I'm just glad your father's not here right now. He doesn't handle this sort of thing well."

"I suppose you're right," Sumiko agreed. She rested quietly for a few minutes as her mother bustled about the lab. There was something she needed to know, but was afraid to ask. Finally she decided to just get it over with. "Mom, are you going to have to shut me off soon?"

Her mother was silent for a moment. "Yes, honey, I am. It's too risky to do repairs with everything still running."

Sumiko bit her lip. There was nothing she hated more than going completely offline. She knew it was necessary from time to time, but she still dreaded it.

"You worry too much," her mother chided. "I know you don't like it, but it's really not that bad. You should just think of it as going to sleep."

"You always say that," Sumiko replied. "But it's really not the same at all."

"I know, honey, but I'll be with you the entire time. I promise."

"Can we go ahead and do it then?" Sumiko asked hesitantly. "I don't want to have to lay here thinking about it."

"Yeah, I can go ahead and shut down your higher processes. Can you roll over on your left side?"

Sumiko carefully turned herself over. A moment later she felt her mother begin connecting a series of cables to the newly exposed ports on the back of her neck. "Wake me up as soon as you can, ok?"

"I will," her mother promised. "Just try and relax now."

"Ok," Sumiko whispered.

"I love you, honey," were the last words she heard before everything went dark.

* * *

Keiko stared glumly at the empty desk in front of her. "I can't believe she's missing a day this early in the term," she grouched. "What is that idiot thinking?"

"Maybe Mendou-san didn't feel well today," Azumi suggested. "She might have a fever or something."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Keiko agreed. However she knew that whatever was wrong, it definitely wasn't an illness. The fact that Sumiko had always bragged about her attendance records in the past made her unexpected absence all the more worrisome.

"Hey, Saotome-san's right there," Azumi whispered. "Are you still going to ask him out?"

"I guess so," Keiko answered. It didn't seem quite as important at the moment, but she had already made a bet on it.

"Then go on and do it."

"I'll be rooting for you," Kinuka added.

"Don't rush me," Keiko retorted. "First impressions are everything, you know?"

She sighed and reluctantly got to her feet. He was eating all by himself just a few feet away, so at least she would have his full attention. After making sure that her ribbon was straight and smoothing out the wrinkles on her uniform, she swooped around to the front of his desk and waited patiently until she had his attention.

"Hi, there," she started off cheerfully. "I'm Moroboshi Keiko. You're Saotome-san, right?"

He stared at her blankly for a moment before responding. "Yeah, that's right."

"How are you doing today?"

"I've had better days," he admitted as he turned his gaze back to his mostly untouched lunch.

He certainly didn't seem interested, but Keiko wasn't going to give up that easily. "Oh? What's the matter?"

"It's nothing," he replied. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Are you sure? It's good to talk about things that are troubling you, and I'm a really good listener."

"It's nothing," he repeated.

Ok," she murmured as she quickly tried to think of something else to say. "So I heard that you're into martial arts?"

He sighed. "No, not really."

Keiko kept smiling. Getting annoyed wouldn't help the situation any. "Oh, well then, what are you interested in?"

"I don't know," he answered irritably. "Listen, I'm sorry, but this really isn't a good time. I've got a lot of stuff on my mind right now."

"Ah," Keiko responded. "Well, sorry to bother you," she apologized as she turned away. "I hope your day gets better."

"Thanks," he murmured.

"You got shot down pretty quickly," Azumi noted quietly as a dejected Keiko sank down in her seat. "I guess this means I won the bet."

Keiko shot her a glare. "It's partially your fault. You gave me some bad information. He doesn't even like martial arts."

"I did not," Azumi protested. "I only said that he practices martial arts a lot, not that he likes it."

"Well, it doesn't matter. I'm not giving up yet."

"She's hopeless, isn't she, Kinuka-chan?" Azumi asked.

Kinuka nodded. "Completely."

Keiko growled and pointedly turned away from them. "What a jerk," she muttered as she pulled out her notebook and started scribbling away.

"Maybe you should just move on to the next guy."

"That would be admitting defeat," Keiko retorted. "I'm going to try again after school."

"Utterly hopeless," Kinuka observed quietly.

* * *

"Hey there, are you feeling any better now?" Keiko asked cheerfully as she swooped between Saotome and the door.

"About the same," he replied with a touch of annoyance. "How come you keep whispering about me with those other girls?"

Keiko felt her face turn bright red. "Ah, that is.... I just find you kind of interesting, that's all."

"How come?"

She fixed her gaze firmly on the ground in front of him. "I don't know, you just seem like a cool guy," she muttered. "I'd like to get to know you better, if that's ok."

He gazed silently at her for a moment, noticing that she was looking more and more flustered. "I'm really not that interesting," he mumbled as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyways, I'm sorry about earlier. You just caught me at a bad time."

"Ah, don't worry about it," she replied, suddenly happy again. "I really would like to be friends with you."

He nodded. "Ok." He seemed at a loss for words for a moment. "Well, I gotta go, but I'll see you in class tomorrow."

Keiko nodded as she moved out of the way. "Ok." She watched him disappear quickly in the crowd of students moving down the hall. That had gone much better than earlier, but she still hadn't gotten his phone number.

"Still striking out?" Azumi asked as she passed by.

"Oh shut up," Keiko replied. "I'm making progress."

"Good to hear it." Azumi smiled. "I'll see you in the morning, my first club meeting's about to start."

"See you tomorrow," Keiko called after her. She glanced at Kinuka. "Do you want to do anything?"

"I've got stuff to do at home," Kinuka responded apologetically.

"Ah, that's ok. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you."

Keiko sighed as she headed out at a much slower pace. She didn't feel like going straight home this early, but she didn't know what else to do. She briefly considered stopping by Sumiko's house to see what was going on, but decided against it. Sumiko was awfully moody at times, and if she hadn't come to school, she probably had a good reason.

She changed her shoes quickly and headed out the door. Most of the other students were either going to meet up with their respective clubs or heading home. She wondered again if she should look into joining a club, but none of them really seemed all that appealing.

Taking to the sky with ease, Keiko flew straight up and came to a halt high above the school. She settled down cross-legged in midair and tried to think of something to do. Tomobiki sure was boring sometimes. Perhaps she just needed to try making more friends.

A pair of blonde haired students strolling across the courtyard soon caught her attention. One she recognized as her classmate Len. The other one must be the twin sister he had mentioned. Squinting, Keiko saw that the girl was wearing the same kind of headset as her brother. She shrugged, figuring that they both must really love karaoke to wear something stupid like that to school.

As she continued to watch, an older looking girl came sprinting across the courtyard, her light green hair flowing behind her in two incredibly long tails. The girl skidded to a stop in front of the two siblings and started gesturing wildly about something.

Upon seeing the newcomer's hair, Keiko thought for a moment that the girl was an oni. However she quickly realized that the girl's hair color was way too light; it was more likely just dyed. She noticed with some amusement that the older girl was wearing a headset as well.

After a moment the three of them rushed off together towards the front gate. Perhaps they were all going to sing Karaoke together.

Keiko wondered if should ask if it was ok if she tagged along some time. It would be fun to go sing once in a while. However she didn't want to be embarrassed if they were too good. She didn't think that she had a bad singing voice, but still she didn't want to get upstaged. It wasn't something she had to worry about when goofing around with Azumi and Kinuka.

Keiko glanced around, curious if she could spot more of her classmates. She quickly spotted the girl who sat in front of Sumiko heading away from the school. The girl appeared to be talking to someone, though there was no one else nearby. Keiko could only hope the girl was talking on a hands free phone.

Not seeing anyone else she recognized, Keiko reluctantly headed for home. At this time of the day the house would still be empty. She might as well use the free time to see about cleaning that shirt she had borrowed.

* * *

"Hey, kiddo, wake up, it's time for dinner."

Keiko sleepily rubbed her eyes as she sat up. "What time is it?" she mumbled.

"It's almost eight," her father informed her. "Did you have a good nap?"

She nodded as she stretched and rose into the air. "Yeah, I got kind of tired."

Ataru smiled as he followed her out. "I know how you feel. It's been a rough day." He frowned as something in the room caught his eye. "Is that Lum's shirt?"

Keiko froze.

He snatched the blouse from the back of her chair where she had forgotten it earlier. "You had this thing the whole time? She kept accusing me of hiding it for some reason." Looking it over, he noticed the faded brown stain on the front. "Ah, I see. Soy sauce?"

"Yeah," Keiko admitted guiltily.

"Tried club soda on it?"

"Yes. And a million other things. I don't think it's coming out."

"Ah, that's a shame. She really liked this one." He stared at the shirt for a moment before passing it back to his daughter. "Here, go ahead and get rid of it tomorrow. And make sure you don't just throw it in the garbage where she'll see it."

"You aren't going to rat me out?" Keiko asked.

"Nah. I don't want to listen to Lum gripe about it all night," he sighed. "I'll just take her out shopping this weekend and see if we can find a replacement."

"You're the best, Daddy," Keiko told him as she hurriedly stuffed the shirt under her bed.

"Yeah, I know," he replied as he headed out the door. "You owe me one."

Lum smiled as the two joined her at the table. "Are you two ready to eat?"

Ataru grinned as he plopped down and snatched up his chopsticks. "I'm starving."

Keiko settled down more gracefully on the other side of the table. "Hi, Mom," she greeted her mother.

"Were you asleep again?" Lum demanded.

"I was just taking a nap."

"You really need to find a hobby," Lum scolded her. "You can't just lay around every day."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Keiko shot her mother a suspicious look. "What did you do when you were my age?'

Lum looked mildly flustered. "I did all sorts of things," she hastily replied.

"At fifteen, I would guess that she was still chasing after Rei all the time," Ataru laughed.

"Well, so what if I was, Darling? What amazing things were you up to before we met?"

Ataru decided to ignore the warning in his wife's voice. "Ah, those were peaceful days," he sighed. "I was free to do whatever I wanted, whenever I felt like it. That was truly the springtime of my youth."

"I'm so sorry that I was your winter," Lum replied frostily.

"You're forgiven," he replied graciously as he turned his attention back to his meal.

Lum narrowed her eyes at him and promptly started wolfing down her own food.

Keiko decided that it would be a good idea to stay quiet and see where this went. She didn't have to wait long.

"I understand that your father spent most of his time chasing girls and annoying his neighbors," Lum eventually continued in a neutral tone. "I would prefer that you not follow his example."

"Better she do that than fall in love with some idiot."

"If I didn't have a habit of falling for idiots, she wouldn't be here," Lum retorted.

"Getting a bit personal there," Ataru noted.

"Can't you two just act like normal parents?" Keiko demanded.

Her father looked thoughtful for a moment, then without another word he abruptly got to his feet and left the room.

"Darling?" Lum called out worriedly.

He quickly returned from the hallway with a newspaper in his hand. He sat back down heavily and with an exasperated sigh opened the paper, blocking his face from the other two.

After a moment of puzzlement Lum snorted and burst out laughing. "Darling, that's too funny," she gasped.

Ataru grinned over the top of the paper. "I know, right?" he chuckled.

"I don't get it," Keiko said.

"Darling's father used to always hide behind a newspaper like that," Lum explained after she had recovered.

Keiko rolled her eyes. "That's not normal either."

"Eh, who wants to be normal?" Ataru groused as he resumed eating.

"I'm happy just the way things are," Lum agreed.

"Whatever," Keiko conceded. "Anyways, Sumiko-chan didn't show up at school today. I hope she's ok. "

"Come to think of it, I didn't hear from her mother today either," Lum replied. "I wonder what they're up to?"

"Mendou's out of the country right now," Ataru noted. "Maybe they went to see him."

"Maybe," Lum replied dubiously. "You'd think Sayomi-san would have said something though. She was supposed to take a look at those blueprints we've been working on."

Ataru shrugged. "Sumiko-chan didn't mention anything yesterday?"

"Nope," Keiko confirmed. "I even tried calling her when I got home earlier, but she didn't answer."

"I'm sure it's nothing serious," Lum assured her. "Sometimes we all need a little time off."

"Speaking of time off," Ataru spoke up, "we need to decide for sure if we're going to try to visit Oniboshi this summer."

"Well, I'd really like to see our parents and everyone," Lum said. "We never got around to going last year."

"It's just such a hassle to get all the paperwork and permissions they require now," Ataru replied. "I miss the days when we could just go whenever we felt like it."

"I don't see why it's such an ordeal to leave Earth," Keiko said. "What do they think we're going to try to do?"

"It's just a load of bureaucratic nonsense," Ataru replied. "There are a lot of planets in the Galactic Trade Alliance that still hate that we live here." He shook his head irritably. "You were probably too young to remember this, but there was a movement to have us removed from Earth. And after that eventually failed, they tried to get the GTA to take away our ship. That's why we have to keep it in orbit all the time."

"It's lucky that we had Oyuki-chan on our side, or things would have been worse," Lum noted. "Sometimes I wish those idiots would just mind their own business. If it wasn't for all their restrictions, then we could advance Earth's technology a million times faster."

"You guys are always working on new stuff at Mendou Corp. though, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but we have to keep most of it under wraps," Ataru griped. "If they saw some of the projects we've been doing, we'd be in a lot of trouble."

Keiko nodded. Her parents never talked about the specifics of their work, but she knew it was top secret. "What about artificial humans? Are they forbidden by the GTA too?"

"Yes," Lum answered quickly. "Sayomi-san uses a good bit of oni technology in her designs. That's why it's so important not to let anyone know about her and Sumiko-chan."

"I know," Keiko replied. "You told me not to tell anyone about them a long time ago. I just didn't know why it was such a big deal."

"Anyways," Ataru interrupted, "if we're definitely going, then you need to contact your father and let him know so we can get everything started."

"Ok," Lum promised. "Remind me and I'll call him tomorrow."


	5. Lunchtime is for Flirting

"I can't believe you didn't call me!" Shutaro complained.

"Just calm down, it wasn't that serious," his wife assured him. "I had everything under control here."

"I don't care. You should have let me know."

"Sorry, dear, but if I had then you would have canceled your meeting and came straight back here, right?"

"Of course I would have," he agreed.

"Well then, it all worked out for the best,' Sayomi replied. "You know how important that meeting was, and there isn't anything you could have done here except get in the way."

"That's awfully cold of you."

"Look, don't you start with me," she retorted. "I've been under a lot of stress here, and this really isn't helping."

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down before continuing. "Sorry, I know it must be rough. I just really wish you had let me know."

"Ok, if something like this happens again, I will," Sayomi promised hastily. "Now how is everything going out there?"

"Everything seems fine," Shutaro reported. "Construction of the new hanger bays is almost complete, and the assembly of the ship is on schedule."

"That's a relief. I was worried with all the shipping delays that we'd be behind."

"No, they've been working double overtime here to make up for it."

"Ok. What time do you think you'll be home?"

"Some time this afternoon," he replied. "We just left Lima about an hour ago."

"Ok, I'll see you then. We've still got more testing to do."

"Ok, let me know if anything else comes up."

Sayomi let out a quiet sigh after she disconnected the line. Shutaro was likely going to be in a bad mood for a couple of days over this. Still she felt she had made the right decision.

"Ok, I'm going to bring her back online," she announced to the patiently waiting techs. "Keep an eye out for irregularities."

After a long tense moment Sumiko's eyes opened. Sayomi took her daughter's hand and squeezed it gently to get her attention.

"Hey mom," Sumiko murmured quietly. "Is everything ok?"

"I believe so," Sayomi answered cautiously. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit numb."

"That should go away in a minute. Your system probably hasn't recognized all your sensors yet."

"Yeah, it's starting to get better now," said Sumiko. "How bad was the damage?"

"It could have been worse. We had to completely replace your optics. The lens encasement was knocked out of alignment. Other than that we just had to reseat a few things and repair the exterior damage."

"Ah." Sumiko was quiet for a minute. "Hey!" she exclaimed as she sat up. "Is it really Thursday?"

"Yes, it is," Sayomi answered. "Sorry, it took a while to get you all patched up."

"There goes my attendance record."

"It's not the end of the world," Sayomi told her. "And at least you still have time to go today."

"Yeah, I guess," Sumiko pouted. She sat up slowly and glanced around. "Where's my uniform?"

Sayomi stepped out of the room for a moment and returned with the requested clothing in hand. "Here you go, honey. I had them cleaned and pressed for you."

"Oh, thanks!"

"Now I want you to be careful today. No running or anything strenuous like that until we're sure everything's working properly."

"Yes, mother," Sumiko replied impatiently.

"Now hurry up and get dressed or you'll be late."

* * *

Keiko's gloomy expression disappeared the moment Sumiko appeared in the doorway of their classroom.

"Where were you yesterday?" she demanded impatiently as Sumiko took her seat.

"I wasn't feeling well. Were you worried?"

"Yes, of course I was," Keiko answered with a frown. "You wouldn't even answer the phone."

"Sorry, I wasn't able to."

"Well, are you feeling ok today?"

"Yeah, good as new," Sumiko answered.

"I'm glad you're back, Mendou-san" Azumi spoke up.

"Thank you," Sumiko replied bashfully as she turned back around.

"Hey, there's Saotome-san," Azumi whispered to Keiko. "You should go say hi."

Saotome kept his eyes fixed firmly on the floor as he crossed the room and sat down in his seat.

"Good morning, Saotome-san," Keiko greeted him.

"Morning," he replied dully without turning around.

"How are you doing today?"

"I'm alright," he answered in the same tone.

Sumiko glanced suspiciously at him. "Saotome-san, I can't help but notice that your voice sounds very familiar," she noted dryly.

Saotome looked up in surprise. "Huh?"

"Are you the idiot who was carrying me around the other night?"

His eyes widened. "That was you?"

"Gee, I wonder," she retorted.

"It was so dark, I didn't realize," he stammered. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now." She averted her eyes from his worried face. "I guess I should thank you for trying to help me."

"Don't thank me. It was my fault you got hurt."

"What? What happened?" Keiko interrupted.

Sumiko glared at him. "I don't remember. Perhaps he can enlighten us."

Saotome swallowed hard and started nervously fiddling with his fingers. "Well, I was sparring with my grandfather, and we didn't see you. I guess you got hit when Gramps dodged one of my kicks."

"You kicked me?" Sumiko growled. "Idiot, why were you even fighting there?"

"I'm really sorry," he apologized, bowing his head. "Gramps started it, but it was my fault too."

"Is that why you were absent yesterday?" Keiko inquired.

"Yes," Sumiko snapped irritably.

Saotome grimaced. "I'm really sorry," he said again. "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

She shook her head. "No. Just stay the hell away from me."

"Don't be so harsh," Keiko scolded. "Saotome-san said he's sorry."

"It's ok," he replied, turning away from them. "I'm just glad she's ok."

Sumiko huffed and pointedly turned her attention to the front of the class as well.

Before Keiko could say anything more, their homeroom teacher came sprinting into the classroom.

"Is everyone here?" Mako asked as she dumped her books on her desk. She glanced around, seeing that the second seat in the third row was empty as usual. "Rokudo-san, absent again," she muttered as she made a note in the roll book.

She was about to shut the roll when she noticed another empty seat out of the corner of her eye. She quickly checked the roll. "Aizaka Sayo-san. I guess she's absent too." She briefly tried to remember what Sayo looked like, but came up with a blank. "Oh well," she murmured as she marked the girl absent.

"I'm glad to see you showed up today, class representative," Mako announced. "Remember, you're supposed to set an example for everyone else."

"I'm Sorry, Sensei," Sumiko sighed. "I'll try to do better."

"Thank you," Mako replied. "Now it's time we discuss grounds-cleaning duties for next week."

* * *

So what happened?" Keiko demanded as soon as they were outside.

Sumiko still looked irritated, but she quickly rattled off a summary of her injury and subsequent repairs.

"Wow, sounds like you got hurt pretty badly," Keiko replied after Sumiko had finished. "I had no idea."

"It could have been a lot worse. I just hate being shut down like that. I always have. Plus my perfect attendance is already ruined."

"I still don't think you should be so mean to Saotome-san," said Keiko. "He did apologize, and you said he even tried to carry you to the hospital."

"I don't plan to have any further interactions with him," Sumiko replied. She narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure you want to go after such a violent guy?"

Keiko shrugged. "I don't think this means he's violent. Plus he looked worried about something all day yesterday. He really doesn't seem like a bad guy."

Sumiko shook her head. "Whatever, I don't care. Are we not eating with Inutaishō-san and Takamura-san today?"

"Jeez, you're so formal," Keiko replied. "I told them we wouldn't be eating together today. I have no idea where Kinuka-chan is, but Azumi-chan's off hunting down information about something for her club. "

"Oh."

"You kind of like having them around, don't you?" Keiko observed.

"Well, you're no good for intelligent conversation," Sumiko retorted.

"Just admit that you like them."

"They're fine."

"You've got to be nicer than that if you want to make them your friends," Keiko scolded. "You shouldn't act so stiff and grumpy all the time." She sighed. "Anyways, why don't you go find Kinuka-chan? I saw her leave the classroom earlier. She's probably lonely."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to try to get to know Saotome-san better," Keiko replied as she headed back towards the school building. "If you find Kinuka-chan, make sure you're nice."

"Wait!" Sumiko called after her, but Keiko had already disappeared inside.

She grumbled for a moment but stalked off in search of the white haired girl.

* * *

"Hiya, Saotome-san!" Keiko cheerfully greeted her classmate when she returned to the classroom.

He glanced up with an unhappy expression. "What is it?"

She frowned and flopped down in Sumiko's empty seat. "You're still in a bad mood?"

Saotome shook his head. "No, not really." He didn't sound particularly convincing.

"Don't let Sumiko-chan get you down," she scolded. "She gets mad at everyone sooner or later. You have no idea how many times we've gotten into fights over the years. And we're best friends."

"Thanks, but she's right," he replied bitterly. "I was being way too reckless. She could have been seriously injured."

Keiko nodded. "I guess that's true," she agreed reluctantly. Sumiko was pretty tough. A blow that could damage her that badly would be very dangerous to an average person. "But what's done is done. Do you fight in the streets often?"

"Gramps believes in training in a variety of places so that you'll always be ready for anything," Saotome explained. "He likes to attack unexpectedly, so I don't really have any choice but to fight back." He shook his head. "However we usually try to be more careful not to get bystanders involved."

"You said yesterday that you don't like martial arts, right?" she asked. "Why don't you just quit?"

"I can't do that," he replied. "I'm the only heir to my family's particular style, and I'm expected to take over our dojo some day. I wouldn't want to disappoint my Pop and Gramps."

"Would they really want you to do something you don't like?"

"Gramps wouldn't care. Training is all he thinks about."

"What about your parents?"

"Mom wouldn't force me to do it. Pops wouldn't either, but he would be really sad if I quit. Plus I don't completely hate it. I just don't want to have to fight constantly."

"That sounds tough," Keiko commented. "I guess I'm lucky that my parents don't try to force me to do anything."

"Yeah, you are," Saotome agreed. He sighed. "Anyways, is Mendou-san really ok?"

"She's fine, don't worry about her."

"I wish she had let me take her to see a doctor," he complained. "She was unconscious for a while the other night."

"I'm sure she had much better doctors at her estate," Keiko assured him.

"I guess so," he said. "She's part of that family that runs the Mendou Corporation, right?"

"Sumiko-chan's father is the head of the company."

His eyes widened. "No kidding? I had no idea. I figured she was just some cousin or something."

"Yeah, she acts pretty down to earth I guess," Keiko mused.

"Wow. I can't believe it," he replied. "What's she doing at a public school like this?"

Keiko shrugged. "It was her choice. I don't think she got along with the girls at her last school." She smiled. "That's enough about Sumiko-chan though. She'll probably be grouchy towards you for a while, but just try and ignore her."

"I'd really like to make it up to her somehow," he replied. "Do you have any ideas on what I could do?"

She shook her head. "It'd be best just to give her some space."

"If you say so."

The two lapsed into silence for a moment while Keiko tried desperately to think of something to say. She didn't want to spend the whole lunch period just talking about Sumiko.

"Other than training, do you have any other hobbies?"

"Not really," Saotome admitted. "I don't really have much free time."

"Sorry. My problem is that I have way too much free time," she explained. "My mom says I should try joining a club, but none of them really interests me."

"There's nothing wrong with being part of the go home club," he replied. "But if you don't have anything else to do, it does seem like a waste."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Does Mendou-san belong to any clubs?" he inquired.

"No, and she probably won't join any," she replied, wondering why he was so interested. "She likes to tinker around in her family's labs after school."

"I see,' he replied.

"You seem awfully interested in Sumiko-chan. Do you like her or something?" Keiko asked bluntly.

He blushed and looked down at his desk. "Ah, no, that's not it," he protested. "I just wanted to know a bit more about her."

She nodded, not sure what he meant. "Anyways, what kind of girls do you like?"

He looked a bit surprised. "I don't know. I haven't really gotten to know that many girls."

"Ah. Well, you know me now," Keiko reminded him. "What do you think of me?"

"You seem nice," he replied. "I'm sorry that I was rude to you yesterday."

"Don't worry about it," she assured him. "Sometimes I'm kind of pushy anyways."

"A bit, I guess," he agreed with a smile."

"Hey, don't agree with something like that!" she pouted.

"Sorry, sorry," he laughed. "You shouldn't have said it."

"So nice is a good start," Keiko mused. She tossed a lock of her long green hair back over her shoulder and leaned a bit closer. "I think you're really nice too."

"Yeah?" he replied as he scratched his head nervously. "Thanks."

She leaned over a bit more. "You're kind of cute too."

His face turned bright red. "Really?" he asked nervously.

"Yeah," she confirmed quietly, pressing her attack.

"Ah, uh" he stuttered. "Thanks."

With a wide smile she suddenly hopped up and settled back down in her own seat. She finally had his attention, but she knew the danger of being too aggressive. Patience was important in these situations. "I've got some studying to do," she announced as she pulled out her history book. "It's been nice chatting with you though."

"Uh, yeah, you too" he responded with a shy grin before turning his attention back to the magazine he had been reading earlier.

* * *

"Hey, Inutaishō-san, what are you doing up there?"

Startled, the diminutive girl nearly lost her balance on the narrow second story window ledge. She felt her face turning bright red as she peered down to see Sumiko standing below her. Reluctantly she hopped down and landed lightly on the ground next to her classmate.

"Um," Kinuka said nervously after looking around, "where's Keiko-chan?'

"She's off flirting with that idiotic guy," Sumiko explained. "What are you up to?"

Kinuka was silent for another moment, her face still flushed. "They're practicing kendo," she murmured.

"Oh? Well, I don't have anything to do for the rest of lunch. Why don't we go inside and watch?"

Kinuka shook her head. "That's ok," she replied quickly. "I've seen enough. I don't want to bother them."

"I don't think you would," Sumiko noted. "The gym's pretty big." She noticed Kinuka didn't look like she liked that idea. "Well, is there anything else you want to do?"

"Did Keiko-chan ask you to find me?" Kinuka asked suddenly.

"Kind of," Sumiko admitted.

"She used to do the same thing to Azumi." Kinuka's faintly frowned. "You don't have to hang out with me. I don't mind being alone."

"Hey, it's not like I'm here just because of that. If I didn't want to hang out, I would have just ignored her." Sumiko shook her head. "To tell the truth, I really don't like lunchtime. I always get bored, so it'd be nice to have someone to talk to."

Kinuka kept her eyes firmly on the ground. "I don't talk much," she finally said.

"That's ok," Sumiko replied as she leaned back against the gymnasium wall. "Sometimes a bit of quiet is nice too." She noticed that Kinuka still looked a bit stressed. "Hey, if you don't want me around, I can go," she said hesitantly.

"It's ok," Kinuka sighed as she propped herself up on the wall next to the taller girl. "Sorry. I'm being rude."

"No, you're fine." Sumiko smiled warmly. "So you live at a Shinto shrine, right?"

"Yeah."

"That must be kind of neat. I used to play a lot at a little shrine near here. The priestess who owns it is kind of scary, but she's also really nice when she wants to be." Sumiko smiled as she remembered repeatedly getting scolded for being too noisy with Keiko.

"Oh?" Kinuka responded. "I wonder if I've met her."

"Her name's Ozuno Sakura-san. Actually I think she still works part time here as the school nurse."

"Oh?" Kinuka asked. "Grandfather mentioned her once. He said that she's pretty powerful for a modern priestess."

"I guess she is. I have seen her exorcise evil spirits a few times."

"Really?"

"We've got about twenty minutes left before class, why don't we see if she's here today?" Sumiko suggested.

A nervous look flashed across Kinuka's face. "I don't know."

"Oh, Come on," Sumiko insisted as she grabbed the girl's wrist. "I haven't seen Sakura-san in forever."

"Well.... ok," Kinuka relented.

"Sakura-san, are you here?" Sumiko called out as she peeked in the infirmary.

The nurse set down her clipboard and looked blankly at her visitor for a moment. "Oh, Sumiko-chan, is that you? You've gotten a lot bigger since I last saw you."

Sumiko grinned. "Yeah, I have," she admitted. "I'm going to this school now, you know."

Sakura shook her head. "Now I feel old," she muttered. "It doesn't seem like that long ago that you were just a little brat."

"How come you don't come visit us anymore?" Sumiko demanded. "Cherry-sama visits a lot, but you never do."

"Sorry about that. Between this and that it seems like there's never enough time," Sakura apologized. She grimaced. "You know, just because Uncle asked you to call him that doesn't mean you have to do it."

"It makes him happy," Sumiko shrugged.

"I think you're the only person who's ever liked that old idiot."

"He's always been really nice to me. We even used to have little tea ceremonies with him."

"He just wanted the free cookies."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Sumiko agreed. "But still, he's good company."

"If you want him, you can have him," Sakura grumped. "Who's this?"

Sumiko stepped into the room and ushered Kinuka inside. "This is Inutaishō Kinuka-san. She's in my class."

Sakura stared intently at the white haired girl for a moment. "It's nice to meet you, Inutaishō-chan," she finally said.

Kinuka looked nervous, but nodded her head slightly in greeting.

"So what brings you girls down here?" Sakura asked.

"Mostly boredom," Sumiko admitted. "Plus I haven't seen you in forever."

"I see." Sakura settled down in her seat and discreetly stole another glance at Kinuka. "Have you seen Keiko-chan lately?"

"Yeah, she's in our class as well."

Sakura nodded. "Is that right? I feel sorry for your teachers."

"It's not that bad," Sumiko protested.

"There are indeed dark clouds gathering about this school. I am sorry to say I have not seen this many ill omens in years."

"Uncle!" Sakura bit out as she snatched a bag out of his hands. "Keep away from my lunch!"

Cherry gazed coolly at her for a moment and sadly shook his head. "I don't know how my own family can be so stingy."

"You shouldn't even be in here," Sakura reminded him. "You always scare the students."

"These two don't look scared," Cherry retorted. His smug smiled faded as he took a better look at the girl nervously lingering in the doorway. "Who is this?" he exclaimed.

Kinuka shrank back as the tiny monk approached her.

"You are very strange," he stated firmly.

"Who are you calling strange, you little troll?" Sakura scolded as she grabbed him by the arm.

Kinuka's eyes were wide as she backed into the hallway. She bowed slightly before she turned and fled silently down the hallway.

"Cherry-sama, that isn't nice," Sumiko growled as she started after her classmate.

"You sensed it too, didn't you?" the monk asked.

Sakura settled back down in her chair. "Yes, of course I did. But you didn't have to freak her out like that."

"Oddly, I sense no evil from the girl," Cherry continued.

"Nor did I," Sakura agreed. "That's why you're not going to bother her."

"When do I ever bother anyone?"

"Constantly," she growled as she once again snatched her lunch from his eager hands.

* * *

"Hey, don't let it bother you. He says that kind of stuff to everyone."

Kinuka's expression was unreadable.

Sumiko sighed as she followed Kinuka down the hall. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," Kinuka finally replied. She shot Sumiko a sad smile. "I'm used to people calling me strange."

"You and me both," Sumiko muttered. "Well, anyways, I guess we needed to head back anyways."

The two were silent until they reached their classroom. Peering through the open doorway, Sumiko was surprised that Keiko wasn't hovering around Saotome. Instead she had her nose buried in a textbook. "I never thought I'd see her studying," she observed.

"She's faking it," Kinuka replied.

"Ah." Sumiko smiled mischievously. "Wanna see if we can call her bluff?"

"Ok," Kinuka agreed.


	6. Visitors

"Wait up, Kenma-kun!" Keiko called out as she struggled to put on her shoes.

Saotome slowed to a stop and looked back impatiently. "Fine, but hurry, I've got to get going."

"There, done," Keiko announced as she sprang into the air. "What's the rush?"

"I already told you this morning," he scolded her. "My parents left for some tournament this morning, and I have to take care of my little sister until they get back."

"Ah, sorry, I forgot." Keiko grinned as she flew along side him. "But that's so mature of you!" She gave him a sly look. "Do you need any help?"

"Nah, I've got it all under control," he told her. "This kind of thing happens from time to time."

"Hey, how old did you say your sister was?"

"Five," Saotome replied as they emerged into the courtyard. "She just started kindergarten, so I have to go pick her up."

"She's so lucky to have such a nice older brother," Keiko noted. "Sometimes I wish I had one."

"Gee, I would feel kind of sorry for him."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded as he took off towards the gate, his laughter ringing out behind him.

"Do you always have to be so noisy?" Sumiko demanded as she approached, Kinuka in tow.

"Oh lighten up," Keiko retorted. "School's over already, isn't it?"

"No hot date for you tonight, I assume."

"Ugh, I wish." Keiko was quiet for a moment. "It's hopeless," she pouted. "I don't know what I have to do to get him to ask me out."

"Well, we all know that he's an idiot, so why don't you just ask him out?" Sumiko demanded.

"Believe me, I've tried. He's so oblivious that he never figured out that it's supposed to be a date." Keiko sighed. "Sunday we went to see a movie, and he just sat there watching it like I wasn't even there."

"Well, it's a movie. What did you expect him to do?"

"I don't know, try to put his arm around me? He could have at least tried to hold my hand or something."

"Hey look, you made Kinuka-chan blush!" Sumiko laughed. She patted the shorter girl on the arm. "You're so innocent."

"I am not," Kinuka pouted. She looked at Keiko nervously. "Do people really do things like that these days?"

"Of course they do," Keiko replied confidently. "I read all about it in a book at the convenience store."

"Oh well, if a convenience store book told you, then it must be true," Sumiko dryly agreed. "Anyways, aren't you forgetting something?"

Keiko looked at her blankly. "What?"

"Tonight's the night Modoki-sensei is coming to your house for a home visit, isn't it?"

"Oh crap, that's tonight?" Keiko growled. "I totally forgot." She shook her head. "This is so stupid."

"It's not really a big deal," Sumiko told her. "Sensei just comes over and talks to your parents for a little while. She was only at my house for about 10 minutes last night."

"You probably scared her away with all your guards and servants," Keiko retorted. "How was it when she visited your house, Kinuka?"

"It wasn't a big deal," Kinuka answered in a dull tone.

"I see," Keiko replied. "Well, I'd better get home myself. If I forgot, I bet my parents did too."

"Call me after it's over," Sumiko told her.

"Will do," Keiko yelled down as she headed into the sky.

"She's hopeless," Sumiko muttered.

"Completely," Kinuka agreed.

"Are you going straight home too?"

"I'd better. There's always chores to be done, and if I'm not there grandfather works too hard."

"Well, I guess I have a project or two waiting on me as well," Sumiko mused. "As for this weekend, my parents are both going to be out of town all weekend, and we don't have school Monday. Do you want to hang out any?"

"I'll have to ask if I can," Kinuka replied.

"Great. See if it's ok for you to come over tomorrow afternoon. If so, I'll invite Keiko-chan and Azumi-chan over as well," she explained.

"Ok."

"I hope you can come. Everyone's always so busy."

"I'll ask my parents tonight," Kinuka promised. "It's been fairly quiet at our shrine lately."

"Is it? I guess no one's praying to pass any exams just yet," Sumiko mused.

* * *

"I can't believe you both forgot!" Keiko bit out as she hurriedly swept the mats in the family room.

"You should have reminded us," Ataru yelled from the bathroom. "How am I supposed to keep up with stuff like this?"

"Just keep scrubbing those tiles, Darling," Lum told him. "I don't want her teacher thinking we're pigs."

"Does it really matter?" Ataru grouched. "It's not like a little mildew is going to kill anyone."

"It was your job to clean the bathroom this week anyways," Keiko reminded him.

"It's not like you've been doing a great job keeping up with your own chores," Lum chimed in.

"Sorry, I'll try to do better!" Keiko hastily swept the last of the dirt into the dustpan and dumped it into the trash. "What else needs to be done?"

"Is your room clean?"

"Clean enough," Keiko answered. "She's not going to be going in there, is she?"

Lum peeked out from the kitchen. "I don't know, but she might. Go tidy it up."

"What a pain," Keiko grouched as she headed upstairs.

"I remember back when I had to go through these," Ataru mused. "Mom used to really hate them."

"It was a lot of fun when Onsen-Mark-sensei visited my parents," Lum reminisced. "The poor man, it was over a week before Daddy brought him back."

"Yeah, I think that's why he never came by here."

Whatever Ataru was going to say, he was interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on the door.

"Coming," he called out. "Lum, I think she's here."

Lum sighed as she went to answer the door. "I wish we'd had a bit more time."

"Hi, are you Keiko's teacher?"

Mako nodded. "That's right. May I come in?"

Lum ushered her into the family room where Ataru had already seated himself. "Just a moment, I'll get you something to drink."

"Thank you," Mako replied as she took a seat.

"Hi," Ataru greeted her nervously.

Mako smiled at him. "Please relax," she told him. "I'm not here to cause you any trouble. I just want to get an idea of what Moroboshi-san's home life is like."

"Uh, pretty typical, I would think," he replied. "All things considered."

"Yes, I suppose your situation is a bit...unusual," Mako agreed. "Would you say that your daughter faces any difficulties due to being half oni?"

"No, not really," he replied, scratching the back of his neck. "She's pretty normal. Aside from the flying thing."

"She's lived here in Tomobiki most of her life, right?"

"Yes, ever since she was a baby," Ataru agreed.

"How is Keiko doing at school?" Lum asked as she set out the tea.

"Pretty well," Mako replied. "I think she could apply herself to her studies a bit more, but she mostly behaves herself in class."

"Ah, I'll have to get on to her," Lum promised. "She's always been a bit flaky when it comes to studying."

"I understand that both of you work?"

Lum smiled. "Yes, we do. However Keiko's pretty self-sufficient. And we're usually home about the same time as her."

"Well, you clearly keep your home neat," Mako noted as she looked around.

"Thank you."

"Is Moroboshi-san here right now?"

"Yeah, she's upstairs," Ataru spoke up. "Let me go get her."

The teacher waited until he was out of the room before continuing. "You husband seems very nice. He's quite different from what I expected."

Lum gave her a confused look. "Oh?"

"Ah, yes, well, he's still pretty famous around town," Mako stuttered. "They say he was quite the character in his younger days."

"Well, I don't know what you've heard, but Darling has settled down quite a bit," Lum responded, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.

Mako smiled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," she apologized. "You probably don't remember, but he did try to hit on my mother a couple of times."

"Ah, sorry," Lum said, her face turning red.

Mako giggled. "Well, actually, I chased after your cousin a bit back in the day, so I really can't talk."

"Oh really?" Lum replied. She thought for a moment. "You're little Mako-chan?"

"You remember me?" Mako replied. "I'm surprised. That was a long time ago."

"It was always so funny watching you chase after Jariten," Lum laughed.

"So, whatever happened to him?" Mako asked. "He didn't ever come back to Earth, did he?"

"No, my people still aren't allowed to visit here," Lum replied. "He's doing well back on Oniboshi though. I still talk to him from time to time."

"Well, that's good to hear," Mako replied.

"Good evening, Sensei!" Keiko greeted as she came into the room, followed closely by her father.

"Good evening, Moroboshi-san."

"Everything going well?" Keiko asked.

"I'm satisfied about your home situation," Mako replied. "I was telling your parents that you could do to study a bit more."

"Yeah, I know. Don't worry, I'll try harder."

Mako nodded. "I'll hold you to that. I think you could really excel if you would just put your mind to it."

"Ok."

"Well, then, I won't trouble you any more," the teacher told them as she rose to her feet. "Thank you for having me."

"Oh, it was no problem," Lum said as she walked Mako to the door. "Come by any time you'd like."

Ataru waited until she was gone to speak up. "Whew, I'm glad that's over."

"It wasn't that bad," Lum scolded him. "Did you know she was that little girl that used to chase Jariten around?"

"Really?" Ataru laughed. "Ah, I wish I'd known that. I wouldn't have been so nervous."

"I need details," Keiko interjected. "This could be potential blackmail material."

Lum gave her daughter a stern look. "No. No blackmailing your teacher."

* * *

Sumiko quickly checked the time. "This is the longest twenty minutes ever," she whined as she resumed pacing back and forth in the foyer.

"Young Mistress, perhaps you would like to sit down for a bit?" the butler asked.

"How can I do that?" she demanded. "It's not like I invite people over much."

"Ah, yes, I believe this is the first time anyone except Mistress Keiko has been over."

"And I don't usually invite her," Sumiko grouched. "She just shows up."

"I'm sure everything will go smoothly," he assured her. "Everyone is working hard to make sure they have a pleasant stay."

"I'll need to thank everyone after this is over," she noted. "I really appreciate this."

He replied kindly, "We are here to serve, young mistress."

She had to hold back a startled yelp as the doorbell rang. She hurriedly threw open the door to find Keiko standing on the porch.

"Heya!" Keiko greeted her.

"Oh, it's just you," Sumiko replied. "Come on in."

"What kind of greeting is that?" Keiko grumbled as she entered. "Am I the first one here?"

"Obviously," Sumiko replied. "I'm surprised you're early."

"Oh, I am? I thought we were supposed to meet at noon."

"If that was the case, you'd be almost an hour late."

"Well, excuse me, I slept later than I meant to," Keiko replied. "Saturday mornings are made for sleeping in, aren't they?"

"I wouldn't know about that," Sumiko replied. "My rest cycles are always the same length."

"I've never understood why you even need to rest. Can't you just pop in a fresh battery?"

"Yeah, I can, but errors tend to build up if I don't kill most of my processes regularly. My mother found that out the hard way."

"What happened?"

"She won't say. Apparently she was awake nonstop for about half a year before it caught up to her."

"Ah, but just think what you could do with all that time though."

Sumiko laughed. "What would you do with it? You spend most of your free time just napping anyways."

"That's not true," Keiko protested.

"Isn't it?"

"Shut up." Keiko huffed and turned away. "Where's the food."

"We'll have lunch in a bit, after everyone's here."

"Aw, but I'm hungry now. I didn't even have time for breakfast."

"Fine," Sumiko bit out. "You know where the kitchen is, just ask someone to make you something."

Keiko nodded happily as she left the room. "Roger."

The next person to arrive was Azumi. She was already enthusiastically taking pictures of the estate when Sumiko answered the door.

"Smile!" Azumi told her.

Sumiko blinked as her eyes readjusted from the bright flash. "I'm glad you could come," she murmured dizzily.

"Thank you so much for inviting me over! I can't believe how awesome this place is!"

"Ah, it's no big deal."

"I'm going to take a lot of pictures today, if that's ok," Azumi told her.

"Knock your self out."

"Thank you!" Azumi told her gratefully. "I just got this camera, and my club asked me to start practicing using it a lot."

"You're not going to put them in the school paper or anything, are you?"

"Depends if I get any good shots," Azumi replied as she adjusted her glasses. She smiled and carefully put the camera away in its pouch. "So, am I the first one here?"

"No, Keiko-chan's somewhere around here. She was hungry."

"She's always hungry."

After a few minutes of waiting in silence, Sumiko finally spoke up.

"Have you heard from Kinuka-chan today?"

"No, I haven't." Azumi frowned. "I hope her parents didn't change their minds about letting her come over."

Sumiko sighed. "I hope not. She's always working so hard."

"You two really seem to get along. It's only been a few weeks, but Kinuka-chan talks to you a lot more than she does to me or Keiko-chan."

"Really?" Sumiko asked. "I wonder why?"

Azumi thought for a moment. "Maybe we're too noisy for her."

"But I talk her ear off," Sumiko protested.

"I dunno then. She just seems to have warmed up to you."

"Weird."

Azumi checked her watch. "It's one o'clock right now. Maybe she really isn't showing up."

As if on queue there was a very quiet rapping on the door.

Sumiko eagerly threw it open to find Kinuka standing there looking extremely nervous.

"Hey, I'm really glad you could make it," Sumiko told her. "Please come on in."

Kinuka nodded and shuffled in. "Thanks for inviting me."

"Well, everybody's here now," Azumi observed. "What have you got planned?"

"First we find Keiko-chan," Sumiko answered. "Hopefully she's in the dining room."

"This place is really huge, isn't it?" Azumi asked as they trailed down the hall behind their host.

"Yeah, but it's laid out pretty simply," Sumiko replied. "So you don't have to worry about getting lost."

She peeked into the dining room, but Keiko was nowhere to be seen. Of course she wasn't, that would have been too easy. "Maybe she's in the kitchen," she mused.

"Oh, I have to see that," Azumi insisted.

"Fine, fine."

While Azumi excitedly snapped some photos of the kitchen, Sumiko asked the chefs if they had seen Keiko. She only learned that her wayward friend had accepted a bowl of rice and an egg and had then wondered off somewhere.

"She's like a little kid; can't sit still for a minute," Sumiko grumbled to Kinuka. The shorter girl merely shrugged in reply.

A sudden thought came to her. Rushing upstairs, she finally found Keiko sprawled out in the floor of the small private theater room, her eyes firmly fixed on the massive screen.

"Hey everyone," Keiko greeted them, her mouth still full of rice.

"Don't make a mess," Sumiko ordered her.

"I'm not," Keiko protested.

"What are we watching?" Azumi asked as she settled down in one of the plush seats.

"It's just an anime that I like," Keiko mumbled.

Sumiko was about to ask if Keiko wasn't embarrassed to be watching a show clearly meant for little kids when she noticed that Kinuka was watching it even more intently.

"Do you like this kind of stuff too?" Sumiko asked.

Kinuka blushed and shyly nodded.

"Well, I guess we can let her finish watching it," Sumiko replied as she plopped down in another seat.

Kinuka nodded and happily sank down to her knees on the floor next to Keiko.

Sumiko tried to follow along with the show for a few minutes without success. She watched enough to see that it was about super cute little girls with cat ears and huge bells running around talking in high-pitched voices. It was definitely not her idea of entertainment.

* * *

Keiko was just nodding off when a high-pitched squeal rang out. Suddenly awake, she looked around frantically for the source of the noise.

Azumi stared in mute horror at the reddish creature perched on the edge of her seat. For a long moment it merely looked back at her with its unblinking black eyes. Finally it lifted a tentacle and decisively laid it on her arm. The creature didn't even flinch when Azumi let out another squeal.

Sumiko rose to her feet with a sigh and hurriedly snatched up the curious cephalopod. "Kanomaru, you know you aren't supposed to be up here." She set the octopus down in the hall and gave him a firm push towards the stairs. "Sorry about that," she apologized to Azumi. "My father just lets them run around everywhere. Don't worry, they don't bite or anything."

Azumi continued to stare at the doorway, where the octopus was already peeking back in. "I'm sorry, but that's totally creepy," she complained.

"Eh, they're not so bad," Keiko replied. "I think they're all pretty cute."

"How many are there?"

"On the whole estate?" Sumiko thought for a moment. "Around fifty or so. Only four or five of them really hang around the house though."

Azumi shivered.

Kinuka cautiously circled around to where Kanomaru was. "Can I touch him?" she asked as she reached a trembling hand out towards him.

Sumiko nodded. "Um, sure, if you want to."

Kinuka giggled as the octopus eagerly squirmed around under her hand. "See, he's not scary at all," she noted.

"I guess not," Azumi reluctantly agreed. "Still, I don't want to touch him." She snatched out her camera. "I will take a picture of him though."

Sumiko nodded and turned her attention back to Keiko. "Anyways, your show's over, isn't it? I didn't want to spend the whole day watching TV."

"Yeah, we can do that anytime," Keiko agreed as she

Azumi took one last picture and turned her attention back to her friends. "What did you have planned?"

"Well, has anyone been to an amusement park lately?"

"Really?" Keiko asked excitedly, already guessing what Sumiko was hinting at.

"I went to that Marchenland place a few years back," Azumi recalled. "It was pretty neat. "

Kinuka frowned. "I've never been to one."

Sumiko smiled. "Well, we happen to have our own little park on the estate. Would you guys like to go see it?"

"Sure," Azumi agreed.

Kinuka nodded eagerly in agreement.

"Hasn't it been like five years since we last went there?" Keiko asked worriedly. "Is it still safe?"

"Yeah, everything's been kept in perfect working order," Sumiko replied. "The maintenance staff's just signed off on it this morning. It's fully staffed and waiting."

Keiko grinned and raced for the door. "You should have said something earlier," she called back. "This is going to be great!

* * *

"I could do this for hours!" Keiko shouted over the roar of the wind. She shrieked as the roller coaster car they were in suddenly plunged down yet another steep drop.

Sumiko nodded and tightened her grip on the safety bar. "It's been a really long time since I've played out here," she replied as soon as they had slowed down again.

"I never imagined anything like this!" Azumi yelled from the next row. "This place is amazing!"

Sumiko glanced back and saw that even Kinuka had an excited smile on her face. This really had been good idea. The amusement park had been built as a childhood birthday present for her father, but it had been unused and forgotten for many years before she had discovered it in a remote corner of the estate. Both she and Keiko had once spent many happy days spent playing here.

As soon as the safety bar unlocked at the end of the ride, Keiko was on her feet. "Let's go on the Ferris wheel next," she suggested.

"That sounds good to me," Sumiko agreed as she led the way. "The view's pretty nice from the top."

They were halfway their Sumiko realized that someone was urgently trying to get her attention. "Hey, you guys go on without me," she told her friends. "I need to check on something."

Keiko momentarily looked concerned, but shrugged and kept going. It wouldn't be a good idea to press Sumiko for details with the other two girls there.

Sumiko waited until they were well out of hearing range before she whipped out her cell phone. The external phone was completely unnecessary, but it was important to keep up appearances.

"This is Sumiko. What's going on?" she demanded. The chief of the estate's security forces wouldn't have contacted her directly unless it was serious.

"We're not sure yet," a gruff voice replied. "My guards reported that they saw several suspicious looking men skunking around the lab buildings. Whoever it was, they got away, and no one's been able to find them since. I've still got people scouring the whole area." He paused for a moment. "The weird part is that none of our security systems detected anything."

Sumiko frowned. The estate's surveillance systems were top of the line, and second to none in the world. Her mother had made sure of that.

"Since your parents aren't here, I was hoping you could check it out as well," he continued hesitantly.

"Let me take a look," she sighed as she took a seat on a nearby bench. She put her phone down in her lap and closed her eyes as she leaned back. To any passerby it would look like she was just taking a brief nap.

In truth she was focusing all of her attention on scanning for the intruders. Her eyes were now the thousands of surveillance cameras hidden in a wide variety of nooks and crannies around the estate. Nothing should be able to escape her detection for long.

Several long minutes passed before she was ready to admit defeat. She was seeing a ton of guards, but there was absolutely no sign of anyone suspicious. Even switching to one of the surveillance satellites in orbit didn't help.

"I'm coming up empty," she admitted. "Are you sure someone was really there?"

"Pretty sure," the security chief replied. "They were spotted four times by guards posted around the R&D labs."

Sumiko bit her lip and focused on the cameras in just that area. Instead of merely watching the live feeds, she rapidly scanned through the stored footage.

She almost missed a slight flicker in one camera's recording. Checking another camera near the first, a similar flicker showed up on that one as well. It didn't take her long to figure out the cause.

"Someone's tampering with the surveillance system," she informed the chief. "It looks like they're removing their presence from the video faster than it can be displayed."

"That's not possible, is it?" he asked.

"My mother should be the only person on earth who can do something like that in real time," she replied. "You'd better give her a call."

"Will do," he replied. "In the meantime, just stay where you are. I've got plenty of guards posted around the park to make sure no one gets in."

"Ok," she promised right before she broke the connection. All things considered, she didn't find his words very reassuring at all.

"Oh, she's awake," Azumi said as Sumiko opened her eyes.

Sumiko blinked several times, surprised to see the three girls gathered around her. "I thought you were all going on the Ferris wheel."

"Yeah, we did, like fifteen minutes ago," Keiko explained.

"Sorry, I must have dozed off," Sumiko explained. She faked a yawn and sat up straight. "I guess I should have gotten in bed earlier."


	7. Protecting What They Have

"You're pretty quiet all of the sudden," Keiko noted quietly. "Is something wrong?"

Sumiko frowned. "It's nothing you need to worry about."

Keiko gently slapped her on the shoulder. "Don't say things like that," she admonished. "We're friends, aren't we?" She glanced over at Kinuka and Azumi enjoying their snacks in front of the park's cafe. "Don't worry, they can't hear us from over there."

She failed to notice Kinuka's curious glance.

Sumiko sighed. "Fine. There are unidentified intruders on the estate poking around our R&D labs. I can't locate them, I don't know what they are up to, and it's really getting on my nerves. I believe that they are aliens, because I know humans aren't this good."

"Huh?" Keiko stared back at her blankly.

"Aliens. On the estate. Very irritating."

"Yeah, ok," Keiko retorted. "I got it."

"I don't know why this had to happen today," Sumiko griped. "I just wanted to have a nice fun afternoon."

"Well, can't all your security guards handle it?" Keiko asked.

"You'd think so, but they're not having any luck either."

Keiko frowned. "What are you going to do?"

"There's nothing I can do," Sumiko replied. "We've already got the complex locked down pretty tight."

"Oh."

"My mom's on her way back right now," Sumiko continued. "Hopefully she'll be able to get rid of them."

"I hope so," Keiko agreed. "What's so important in there anyways?"

Sumiko shot her an incredulous look. "Don't you know anything? You do realize that's where your parents do most of their work, right?"

"Yeah, but they don't really talk about it much."

"You probably just don't pay attention," Sumiko noted. "We'll all be in serious trouble if they find anything alien in there. It's not like the Trade Alliance likes your family being here in the first place."

A look of concern washed over Keiko's face, but her expression quickly brightened. "Well, I guess if there's nothing we can do, then there's nothing we can do," she announced. "No point in worrying about it."

"You're so simple," Sumiko bit out.

"I am not. Your mom's really smart, so I'm sure she'll take care of it. In the meantime, I'm not going to ruin the day over something I can't control." Keiko huffed and turned towards the cafe. "I'm going to get something to eat. You should eat something too, unless you want Azumi-chan hovering over you all afternoon."

Sumiko reluctantly nodded. "I guess you're right. She's such a mother hen." She pointed to where Azumi was diligently trying to get a spot of ice cream off Kinuka's collar.

"Kinuka-chan's like a little kid sometimes," Keiko giggled.

Sumiko shook her head. "You're one to talk."

"Are you feeling any better, Sumiko-chan?" Azumi asked as the two rejoined them.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry about that, I was up kind of late last night."

Azumi shook her head. "You should really take better care of yourself."

"I'm fine," Sumiko replied dismissively. "Anyways, what do you want to do after we eat?"

Keiko pointed towards the small but foreboding mansion near the other end of the park. "I want to see the haunted house, it's been a really long time since we last did that."

"That's because it's pretty cheesy," Sumiko grumbled.

"I wouldn't mind," Kinuka admitted.

Sumiko nodded. "Ok, then, next up's the haunted house."

* * *

Sayomi Mendou tapped her fingers impatiently on the console as she waited for the fighter jet to come to a stop. "It's so obvious that they planned to do this while we were away," she griped. "I'm so sick of all these little games."

"Try to calm down," her husband admonished her over the secure channel they had set up. "Remember what's at stake here. Being rash isn't the answer."

"I've been calm for 15 years now," Sayomi retorted. "It really hasn't made any difference, has it?"

Shutaro sighed. "No, not really."

"Then what's the point?" she demanded.

"Because this isn't a fight we can win," he reminded her. "You know that. Oyuki-sama already made it clear that we can't expect any help."

" I know," she growled. "But regardless of that, they have no right to trespass in my labs."

"Just promise me you won't do anything drastic," he asked sternly.

There was no reply.

Shutaro stared worriedly at the now silent phone. Sayomi was well known to be very protective of both her work and her family. Anyone who threatened both was not likely to walk away unscathed.

"Master, what do you wish to do?" one of his waiting assistants asked.

Shutaro's first instinct was to rush back to Japan as well. But it would take too long for him to make any difference. He would just have to trust his wife to handle this.

He made his decision quickly. "Continue preparations for the meeting with the Prime Minister."

The chief of security stared uneasily at the petite raven-haired woman standing in the center of the cramped command room. It had been over ten minutes since she had bust in and wordlessly connected herself directly to the security network. Since then the hundreds of monitors around them had flickered incessantly as they displayed an overwhelming cacophony of images. He had long since given up on trying to monitor even one of them.

"They're currently in building 3," Sayomi abruptly announced. "Two of them are in Lab 2E, and Three of them are in 1C."

"How can you tell?" the chief demanded. "There's still nothing showing on any of the cameras, and we're not picking up any motion or door alarms."

"Yes, their ship has a fairly advanced program running to keep you from seeing anything," she informed him. "Also I can tell from the server access logs that they're trying to keep us from narrowing down their location by simultaneously editing the information we get from about 30 random rooms at a time."

Her grin was almost predatory as she continued. "The fact that they're going this far means they know our security is extraordinary. But they didn't plan on my abilities."

"I suppose not," the chief replied grimly.

"Our intruders actually assumed that no one would be able to hack their own system," she chuckled. "They don't know it yet, but that editing program's going to stop running in just a moment."

The chief's eyes went wide as five shadowy presences suddenly appeared on the main monitors.

"I'm enhancing the image a bit to make them easier to see. Their suits bend light in such a way that when they're standing still, they're very hard to see. It also completely masks any thermal signature," she pointed out. "That's how they got past all the guards so easily."

"Amazing."

"I suppose so," she murmured as she continued to study the images. "But it's far from perfect."

"Well, now that we know where they are, what's the plan?"

"Capture and interrogation," she replied. "I took away their ability to open the locks on those two rooms, so they're not going anywhere."

The chief nodded. "We need to find out how much they've already seen."

"Best I can tell from the logs, they never made it to the lower levels," Sayomi mused. "The areas they've seen so far don't deal with anything too advanced for Earth, so we should be ok."

"That's a big should," he noted worriedly.

"Yeah, I know," she replied.

The two fell silent as they observed the increasingly frantic efforts of the intruders to escape the rooms they had been confined in. Sayomi smiled as they tried repeatedly to override her commands, only to fail over and over again.

"Let's let them just stew in there for a bit longer," she said cheerfully. "I'm honestly more interested in their ship's database right now. I doubt I'll find anything too interesting in their files, but it never hurts to look."

"I assume you're being discreet in your investigation."

"Of course," she replied. "To all outward appearances, their little operation is still going according to plan."

"Are they from the Trade Alliance?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I haven't found any official ties to them yet. I honestly doubt I'll find anything too incriminating." She frowned. "I wish we could just capture their ship. I could really use the hardware. But I suppose that would be way too noticeable."

"I agree," the chief replied nervously. "We should take as few risks as possible."

Sayomi sighed. "Such a wasted opportunity."

* * *

It was getting dark when the small shuttle carrying the four girls came to a gentle halt just outside of the front of the Mendou mansion.

"We're here," Sumiko announced loudly. "Keiko-chan, wake up already."

"Eh?" Keiko muttered without opening her eyes. "Give me another five minutes."

"Get off of me," Sumiko protested as she tried futilely to extract herself from the girl dozing on her shoulder.

Azumi giggled. "I wonder why she's so worn out."

"She goes home and naps everyday after school," Sumiko growled as she gave Keiko another shove. "I've never met anyone so lazy."

Azumi continued giggling as she helped to pry the sleeping Keiko off her classmate. "Keiko-chan, you really should wake up," she scolded.

Both of them were surprised to hear a loud yawn from the other girl sitting in the vehicle.

"Sorry," Kinuka said with a blush. "I was up early today." She seemed a bit unsteady as she stood up and hopped lightly down to the ground.

"Kinuka-chan, why don't you just stay over tonight?" Sumiko asked after she managed to escape Keiko's sleepy embrace.

"Ah, no, I can't," Kinuka protested. "Sorry."

"But you look really worn out. At least let me get someone to drive you home."

The shorter girl shook her head, sending her silvery hair flying in every direction. "Don't worry about it, I'm ok," she assured them. "Thanks for inviting me, Sumiko-chan. I had a lot of fun."

Before Sumiko could say anymore, Kinuka bowed formally and sped off in the direction of the front gates.

"Even though she's tired, she's still so fast," Azumi marveled.

"Yeah, she is," Sumiko agreed as she watched the girl quickly disappear into the darkness. "I hope she'll be ok."

"I think she will," Azumi replied. She checked her cell phone as she carefully stepped off the vehicle. "It's been a lot of fun, but I'm afraid I need to be getting home as well. My mom gets home late sometimes, so I need to make sure my brother and sister are doing ok."

"Oh. Well, do you want a ride home?"

"Nah, it's not that far," Azumi replied as she put her phone away. "Thanks again for everything today. I haven't had so much fun in forever."

Sumiko nodded. "Yeah, I had a lot of fun too. Thanks for coming." She cast her gaze back to their still slumbering friend. "I'll see you later."

Azumi nodded. "Ok, I'll see you. Good luck with Keiko-chan."

Sumiko waved as Azumi headed away at a brisk walk. Tomobiki was a pretty safe place, but it never hurt to be careful. "Please have the guards at the front gate send out a couple of men to make sure my friends get home ok," she told the driver as she turned her attention back to Keiko.

"Will do, Young Mistress," he promised as he picked up his radio.

"Keiko, get up or I'm leaving you out here," Sumiko threatened.

"Hmm?" Keiko murmured, her face turning red. "Well, I guess it's ok if it's you, Kenma-kun."

Sumiko stared mutely for a long moment. "Eww," she finally muttered. "I don't even want to know." She turned her attention back to the waiting driver. "Sorry to ask this, but could you drive around somewhere really bumpy for a little while?"

The driver nodded. "It's no problem, Young Mistress."

"Ok, then I'll leave it to you," Sumiko told him with a smile as she dismounted.

She continued grinning long after the small vehicle sped off.

* * *

Sumiko had just finished slipping into her nightgown when she heard an angry tapping on the glass. Willing herself to remain straight-faced, she strode casually over to the window and threw it open.

Keiko glared as she flew inside. "What the heck was that about?" she growled.

"Ah, you're awake," Sumiko replied without a trace of emotion. "Did you have a good nap?"

"You're horrible," Keiko replied. She sank down on Sumiko's bed and laid her head back against the wall. "Did everyone else go home already?"

"Yeah, they did. Are you staying over?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Is that ok?

Sumiko nodded. "It's fine with me."

"Good. My mom kind of hinted this morning that she wanted to have a romantic evening without me hanging around."

"I didn't really need to know that."

Keiko grinned. "It's been a long time since we had a sleepover."

"Yeah, it really has." Sumiko flopped face down across other end of the bed and closed her eyes. "I really hope everyone had fun today."

"I think they did." Keiko frowned. "Hey, what happened with those guys in the lab earlier? Did your mom get rid of them?"

"Yeah, she sent them packing already," Sumiko replied, her eyes snapping back open. "We don't think they saw anything they shouldn't have, so it wasn't a big deal after all."

"Well, who were they?" Keiko demanded impatiently.

"They were just a group of independent mercenaries. Of course there wasn't anything tying them to any members of the Trade Alliance. They covered their tracks pretty well."

"Oh."

Sumiko shook her head. "Things would be so much better if they'd just leave earth alone." She lifted her head and cast a longing gaze out the open window. "You're lucky, you know. You'll get to visit Oniboshi this summer, won't you?"

Keiko gave her friend a curious look. "It's not a big deal. Oniboshi's kind of boring, to be honest. We're just going to visit family."

"I don't care. I'd just like to see space for myself," Sumiko complained. "There's a whole galaxy full of planets out there, but there's no way for me to even get off this one."

"Well, maybe you'll get your chance someday," Keiko ventured.

"No, not at this rate. Human space travel research mostly died over a decade ago. There's no point when even NASA can't get permission to launch anything bigger than a satellite."

"You can't ever give up hope. My mom says that a lot."

"Yeah, well, my parents think the same way. That's why they still put so much effort into subspace research. I just can't see them ever getting permission to put it to use."

The room was quiet for several long minutes, neither girl knowing what to say to break the gloomy mood.

"I'm hungry," Keiko finally announced. "Do you mind if I get something to eat?"

"Why would I care? Just go get something."

"Thanks, I'll be back soon."

"Don't make a mess," Sumiko called out after her.

Keiko rolled her eyes as she headed down the hallway, nearly causing her to run into Sumiko's mother.

"Hey, be more careful, Keiko-chan," Sayomi admonished as she ducked out of the way.

"Ah, sorry, Sayomi-san. I was just going to get something to eat."

"Are you staying here tonight?"

"If that's ok."

"Of course it's ok," Sayomi told her. "You know you've always been welcome here."

"Thank you." Keiko was quiet for a moment. "Sumiko-chan said you got rid of those intruders earlier. Was it scary?"

Sayomi looked surprised. "No, not really. I was never even close to them. All I actually did was prevent them from hacking with our security systems, and the guards took care of the rest.

"They didn't find out about you and Sumiko-chan, will they?"

"No, our secret's still safe," Sayomi assured her. "And don't worry, they didn't find out about your parents' research either."

"That's good," Keiko replied quietly. "I like the way things are now. I would really hate if anything happened."

"Sometimes change is a good thing," Sayomi sighed. "I wouldn't mind if a few things were different. But you're right. Protecting what we have now is more important." She smiled and patted Keiko on the head. "Don't worry about this kind of thing. We'll make sure nothing bad happens."

Keiko nodded.

"I believe there's still someone on duty in the kitchen. See if they'll make you something good."

"Thank you," Keiko said as she continued down the hall.

Sayomi shook her head and headed towards her daughter's room. If even the usually carefree Moroboshi girl was nervous, than Sumiko was probably not feeling worse.

"Hey, honey" she said as she poked her head into the room. "How's it going?"

Sumiko lifted her head back up. "Hi, mom."

"Hey. I heard Keiko-chan's sleeping over. Have you got anything planned?"

"Not really," Sumiko admitted. "I think we're both a little tired. We've been out playing most of the day."

"You're tired?' Sayomi repeated with a hint of concern in her voice. "Are your batteries not recharging properly?"

"No, it's not that. I just feel a little worn out mentally. Like I'm not motivated to do anything."

Her mother nodded thoughtfully, still looking concerned. "Does that happen often?"

"Not all the time, but here and there it happens."

Sayomi was silent for a moment. "I didn't think it was possible for you to still surprise me," she finally said. "I believe that falls within human behavioral norms, but it's not something that I've ever experienced."

"It's not?" Sumiko asked.

"No. Such a feeling seems rather counterproductive to me," Sayomi replied. "It must be something that developed on its own."

"I see."

"Ah, there's still so much I don't quite understand," her mother complained. "There are so many variables that affect this kind of thing." She paused and thought for a moment. "Well, I suppose that it would be boring if you could analyze and predict everything, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Sumiko agreed.

"Anyways," Sayomi continued, "I just saw Keiko, and she seemed a bit worried about what happened earlier."

Sumiko nodded. "Yeah, that's why I didn't want to tell her in the first place."

"Are you worried?"

"No more than usual. We expected something like this sooner or later, right?"

"Yeah, we did," Sayomi agreed. "However these guys were better prepared than I expected. Now that they have an inkling of what they're up against, I'm sure the next time will be much worse."

"So what are we going to do?"

"I'm already working on upgrading our systems to counteract an attack like today's. But unless we can get some kind of advantage, sooner or later they'll find what they're looking for."

"Wouldn't it be better to just abandon the research then?"

"Your father believes strongly that we should continue it no matter what," Sayomi replied. "Besides, if they find out about that, then they'll find out about you and me as well. I doubt the Trade Alliance would leave the Moroboshis or us alone after that. We both have Oni components in us, after all."

Sayomi groaned and sat up. "You're really not calming me down, Mom."

"I'm sorry, honey. I wish I could just tell you that everything's fine, but you're too smart for that."

Seeing the look on her daughter's face, Sayomi wrapped her arms tightly around the girl and held her close. "Don't worry too much about it. We'll figure something out."

"I hope Keiko doesn't see this," Sumiko murmured after a moment, but she made no attempt to pull away.

* * *

By the time Keiko returned, Sumiko's mother had already left. "You look like you're in a better mood," she noted.

Sumiko nodded shyly. "Yeah, I talked with my mother a bit." She unexpectedly smiled. "Hey, do you want to stay up late and watch a movie or two? I'll let you pick."

Keiko nodded. "Sure," she replied happily. "We haven't pulled an all-nighter in years."


	8. Strange Classmates

Sumiko felt a finger poking her in the back.

"Hey," a soft voice whispered.

After a moment with no response, the poking became more persistent.

"What?" Sumiko bit out as quietly as she could.

"What's with Mamiya-san?' Keiko whispered. "She keeps staring at that empty desk."

"I don't know," Sumiko hissed back. "Ask her during the break."

The twin pig-tailed girl sitting in front of them seemed to have heard them, as she blushed and quickly turned back towards the front of the class.

Keiko frowned and continued to watch closely. Math class was way too boring to actually pay attention to the lecture. Sure enough, Mamiya soon started casting wry looks at the empty desk beside her.

It wasn't the first time Keiko had noticed the girl doing something strange. Sometimes she talked to herself when she thought no one was watching. Other times she would smile warmly at no one in particular. After much observation, Keiko was starting to suspect that the girl was just nuts.

Mamiya suddenly jerked as if she had been caught staring at someone and hurriedly faced the front again. To Keiko's amusement, Mamiya then hurriedly shot a desperate glance towards the other empty desk in the room. The nuts theory seemed more and more likely every minute.

For the next half hour it appeared that Mamiya was trying hard to pay attention to the teacher, but inevitably her eyes would stray back to the empty seat to her right. Finally near the end of the period she seemed to lose interest in whatever it was.

The moment the bell rang, Keiko started poking Sumiko in the back again.

"What is it now?" Sumiko asked without turning around.

"Did you see her?" Keiko whispered.

"I was busy taking notes."

"Like you even need to," Keiko retorted. "Anyways, ask her what she was doing."

"You're the only one who cares," Sumiko murmured. "Ask her yourself."

"No way. It'll be weird if I ask."

"Why would it be any weirder than if I did it?" Sumiko demanded. "Just leave her alone."

Keiko sighed. "You weren't given any curiosity, were you?"

Before Sumiko could reply, their homeroom teacher came rushing into the classroom with a redheaded boy in tow. "Everyone, I've got exciting news," she announced. "Rukudo Rinne-kun has finally shown up."

Keiko quickly looked the new guy over. He wasn't bad looking, but certainly wasn't as cute as Kenma. She noted with some amusement that his tousled red hair was an even brighter shade than Himura's. When one considered the wide range of unusual hues already present in the class, it wasn't particularly out of place. However the fact that he was wearing a black tracksuit of a different style than Tomobiki High's was quite unusual.

Rukudo merely nodded once after he was introduced and quickly took his seat without even being told where it was.

It seemed like he was going to be the quiet serious type. Keiko privately mourned that the class seemed to have an overabundance of those students. It certainly made for a quiet classroom.

Mako smiled happily at her new student, seemingly unfazed by his serious attitude. "Since you missed so much, you'll have to work really hard to catch up," she informed him.

He nodded again, his expression not changing a bit. "Ok."

"Everyone, please take good care of him and help get him up to speed. Remember, end of term exams aren't too far away." She glanced at her watch and waved. "Ok guys, I'll see you all later today, break's going to be over soon."

"So, new guy, where have you been all this time?" Yoshito called out from his corner. He huffed and sat back down when he didn't receive an answer. "A tough guy, eh?" he muttered irritably to himself. "Ah, sometimes I miss my elementary school."

Mamiya stared curiously at the new student for a couple of minutes before she cautiously reached out a hand and poked him in the shoulder.

"What was that?" he asked flatly.

The girl's face turned bright red as she turned away. "Oh, sorry, it's nothing," she muttered.

He looked confused, but quickly looked away as well.

"I wonder if Mamiya-san knew he was coming today." Keiko whispered. "Maybe that's why she was so interested in his seat."

Sumiko shrugged. "Maybe," she replied without a hint of interest in her voice.

* * *

"Ugh, I somehow hoped this day would never come."

Keiko shot her friend an exasperated look. Azumi had been worrying around about today for at least two weeks. "You look fine," she assured the nervous girl.

"I do not," Azumi insisted as she tugged at the hem of her school-issued swimsuit. "I really hate these things. They show every little bit of fat."

"I don't see any fat on you."

"Well I do. Aren't you embarrassed at all?"

Keiko glanced down at her own body. "Actually, I think I look pretty good, considering how boring these suits are," she replied. "I really hope Kenma-kun notices me."

"Just try not to get too excited in the pool and electrocute everyone," Sumiko remarked as she passed by.

Keiko's eyes went wide. "Shut up, you," she hissed. "That was like ten years ago."

"Wow, look at Kinuka-chan. She is so cute," Azumi commented, her own worries suddenly forgotten. "It's like looking at an elementary school girl, right?"

Kinuka's only response was an irritable glare as she stalked after Sumiko.

"Wait up!" Keiko called after them as she finished adjusting her own swimsuit.

She blinked repeatedly as she emerged from the changing room into the bright sunlight.

"It's cold," Azumi whined as she clutched her towel tightly against her chest. "It's too early to be swimming."

"It's June," Keiko pointed out, the slight chill in the air not bothering her in the least. "This is the same time they always make us start swimming."

"I don't want to hear that from you," Azumi snapped. "You never get cold."

"I do sometimes," Keiko replied quietly, "but it's really not bad today."

"It doesn't really bother me either," Sumiko agreed.

"Kinuka-chan, aren't you cold?" Azumi demanded, desperate for an ally.

"It feels good," Kinuka replied flatly.

Azumi's mouth dropped open. "You guys are mean," she finally muttered.

"Ah, don't mind us," Keiko laughed as she slapped Azumi on the back. "It looks like a lot of the other girls are cold."

As soon as they reached the pool, Keiko took a look at the boys coming out of their own changing room. "Have you seen Kenma-kun come out yet?"

"Not yet," Azumi replied curtly.

Keiko sighed dramatically and leaned back against the fence. "He needs to hurry up."

"You're so shameless," Sumiko remarked as she carefully hung her towel on the fence.

"Oh, just be quiet for once," Keiko retorted.

Sumiko smiled and turned her attention to Kinuka. "Can you swim well?"

"I do okay," the shorter girl replied without much confidence.

"I'll bet you're real good at it, Sumiko-chan" Azumi said. "I saw you had a real big pool on your estate."

"Not really," Sumiko admitted. "I don't really like to swim much. My aunt uses the pool more than anyone. At least on the rare occasions when she's in town. Occasionally my father likes to swim too though."

"Ah, that's such a waste. If I had a pool like that, I'd swim every day," Azumi mused. "Well, every hot day."

Sumiko decided not to mention that the pool was actually heated, lest her classmate get any more jealous.

"Oh, there's Kenma-kun," Keiko exclaimed excitedly. She immediately started waving at him.

"So very shameless," Sumiko noted.

"You really have no class, do you Moroboshi?"

"Eh?" Keiko turned around to find another of their classmates looking at her with disdain. "Oh, it's just you, Hidemi."

"I've never given you permission to use my first name," the brown haired girl replied haughtily. "I guess I really shouldn't expect good manners from one of your stature."

"I suppose you think you should be addressed as Watakushigi-sama, huh?" Keiko replied calmly. "Well, that's just too bad. You don't merit even a scrap of my respect."

"Addressing me like that would be befitting of someone like you," Hidemi laughed. "However I would really prefer it if you didn't address me at all."

"You're the one over here bothering us," Keiko pointed out.

With a patient smile, Hidemi turned her attention to Sumiko. "Forgive me for being so forward, Mendou-san, but I really have to ask, is it wise for someone like you to mingle with such common people?"

Sumiko blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"Surely you know the importance of choosing your friends carefully," Hidemi continued. "I would be the first to admit that this public school mostly lacks culture, yet there are a scant few of us who know what it means to be refined. I'd be happy to introduce you to them."

"Hidemi was the richest girl in our middle school," Keiko spoke up. "She thought she was the big fish around here until you showed up."

"No one is talking to you, Moroboshi," Hidemi snapped. "But I cannot deny that my family is not in the same class as these paupers."

"The Watakushigi family, huh?" Sumiko mused. "I've never heard of it."

"My father owns a chain of department stores all across Japan," Hidemi replied demurely. "He is a very important man, though of course no where near your own family's level."

Sumiko shrugged. "That doesn't sound important at all," she replied unconcernedly. "To be honest, from my vantage point there's no real difference between your family and any other in this school."

"Ah, yes, I understand that the Mendou corporation is in a different league than our own," Hidemi replied hastily. "Still, I can surely offer you much more civilized conversation than these people"

"So far you're just getting on my nerves," Sumiko growled. "You know, I really can't stand people like you. Would you please not bother me?"

Hidemi looked stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered. "Well, I'm sorry you feel that way," she replied. "If you ever change your mind, just let me know."

Sumiko waited until Hidemi was well out of earshot before saying anything. "People like that are why I hated that private academy so much," she bit out. "They'll pretend to be your friend, but all they really care about is how much money your family has, and how they can benefit from knowing you."

Keiko couldn't stop laughing. "That was great," she murmured as she wiped a tear from her eye. "I've been waiting and waiting for that spoiled brat to try something like this. I'll bet your rejection really shocked her."

"She deserved it," Azumi interjected. "Treating everyone like they're beneath her. Good job, Sumiko-chan."

Sumiko merely sighed. "Even here there are people like that. If her father is that rich, why does she go to this school?"

"Probably so she can lord over us paupers," Keiko giggled. "Honestly I don't know."

"Here comes our instructor," Kinuka pointed out.

The four girls hurriedly lined up with the rest of the females in the class.

The P.E. teacher hurriedly inspected the students before blowing her whistle. "Ok, everybody, since this is the first day, everyone's going to do one lap to the far side of the pool and back so we can see what needs improvement. I expect by the end of the summer that your times will have improved.

Another of their classmates waved her arm wildly above her head. "Can we use a swimming board?"

The teacher sighed. "Yes, Udagawa-san, if you really need to. But I want you to do your best to learn how to swim without one before the summer is over."

"Yes, Sensei!" the girl replied cheerfully.

"Any other questions?" she asked.

"Do we really have to have mixed swimming classes?" another girl asked, her face tinged red. "All the guys are going to be looking at us."

"Just bear with it, Urashima-san" the teacher replied. "The boys are going to stay on the left side of the pool, and we'll stay on the right side."

The girl's blush only deepened, but she nodded her head. "Ok."

"Well, if there's nothing else, then we'll start now. Aizaka-san, you're up first."

There was a long pause.

"I guess she's not here today," the teacher noted. "I thought I saw here a minute ago..." She glanced down at her notebook. "Inutaishō-san, you're first then."

Kinuka reluctantly stepped up to the starting block and after staring at the water for a moment, dove in.

"Wow, she's fast," Sumiko noted as they watched the silver-haired girl rapidly make her way towards the far side.

"Yeah, she's really good at anything athletic," Keiko agreed.

"I just don't know how she does it with such short legs," Azumi commented.

"Ok, that was very good," the teacher said as Kinuka climbed out of the water. "Kobe-san, you're up next."

Sumiko watched anxiously as the next two girls did their laps. Soon enough it was her turn.

"Go on," the teacher urged, seeing her hesitate. "It's only cold at first."

"Ok," Sumiko replied as she slowly stepped up to the edge.

Taking a deep breath, she leapt lightly into the water. There was a large splash as she immediately disappeared under the surface. Abruptly she started kicking hard, propelling herself forward. Her speed wasn't very fast, but her precise movements propelled her across the pool and back in a reasonable amount of time.

The teacher shook her head as Sumiko clambered out. "I'm very impressed that you can hold your breath that long, Mendou-san, but that's not very safe. You need to make sure you come up for breaths regularly."

"Yes, Sensei," Sumiko quickly replied. It was hard enough staying afloat without worrying about superficial stuff like that.

"Ok, Moroboshi-san, you're up."

Keiko grinned as she strode up to the edge. She cast a quick glance over to the other side of the pool, and was pleased to catch Kenma glancing over in their direction. Delaying for a moment, she tossed back her hair and stretched her arms high over her head and leaned back.

"Just get in," the teacher ordered.

"Just making sure I don't get a cramp," Keiko explained wryly before she gingerly hopped into the water.

"Is that really as fast as you can go?" the teacher called out as Keiko slowly propelled herself across the pool.

"Yes," Keiko called back, her voice shaking. "I'm not too good at this yet."

The teacher placed a hand on her temple. "Are you sure you're trying?" she yelled back,

"She pulled this last year too," Azumi whispered. "Now it'll look like she's really improved by the end of the season."

"But she's so obvious about it," Sumiko whispered back.

The teacher gave Keiko an annoyed look as she returned and floated up out of the pool. "I expect you to do better next time."

"Ok, I'll try my best!" Keiko promised as she rejoined her friends.

"You are such a faker," Azumi noted quietly.

"Oh, why does it even matter?" Keiko murmured. "It's not like I even need to know how to swim. I can fly, remember?"

"Didn't you want to impress Saotome-san?" Sumiko demanded. "You said he trains all the time. I bet he hates lazy people."

Keiko's eyes widened. "That's a good point," she begrudgingly agreed. She clenched her fist and looked fiercely at the pool. "Next time I'll be serious about it."

"That was a good time, Takai-san," the teacher congratulated the next girl. "Your turn, Takamura-san."

Azumi dove in without any hesitation and did her lap as quickly as she could. The moment she was out she immediately regained her place in the huddle of girls.

"I looked really bad out there, didn't I?" she demanded.

"Actually, you have really good form," Sumiko noted.

"It was impressive," Kinuka agreed.

"I'm not talking about my swimming," Azumi groaned.

The next girl up was the thin bespectacled girl named Urashima. She looked extremely nervous as she removed her thick glasses and carefully set them aside. Her legs were practically shaking by the time she jumped in.

"Don't flail around so much," the teacher told her. "Make every stroke count."

"Ok," Urashima replied without changing her pace.

The teacher sighed as she glanced back at the next girl in line. "Udagawa-san, didn't you swim much in middle school?"

The petite girl shook her head, and then suddenly beamed forth a wide smile, revealing the prominent absence of one of her front teeth. "No, sorry about that," she cheerfully apologized. "We didn't really swim much back home. I'm really trying hard to learn though."

The teacher looked abashed. "It's fine. As long as you're trying."

"Hey, check it out," Azumi whispered to Keiko. "Udagawa-san's husband is watching her."

Keiko glanced over at the boys. Sure enough Udagawa Gosuke-san was openly keeping an eye on the girl who shared his surname.

"Those two are just plain odd," Azumi continued quietly. "Did you know that both of them showed up around here at the same time last year? They have to be related somehow."

"Is that right?" Keiko replied, her curiosity mildly roused. "Do you really think they're married?"

"I kind of doubt it," Azumi admitted, her tone unsure. "I mean, they're both underage. But they are always together, aren't they?"

"Yeah, I noticed they even always leave school together," Keiko affirmed. "Maybe they're just cousins or something."

Azumi waved her hand dismissively. "But they don't look at all alike." She looked mournful as she continued. "In any case, they're both so quiet that it's impossible to find out much about them. I feel like a failure as a reporter."

"Don't be an idiot. You're the best there is at this kind of stuff," Keiko scolded her. She thought for a moment. "Hey, if you're looking for a mystery, why don't you see what's up with Mamiya-san?"

"You mean how she seemed so fascinated with Rukudo-san earlier?"

Keiko nudged Sumiko in the back. "You hear that? Azumi-chan noticed it too! I told you there was something going on."

"I didn't say you were wrong," Sumiko replied without turning around. "I just don't stick my nose in other people's businesses like you two do."

Keiko decided to ignore that. "Azumi-chan, haven't you noticed how Mamiya-san is always acting weird? It's not just today."

Azumi nodded. "Yeah, I have. Yesterday at lunch she was talking to herself for like a half hour. And that wasn't the first time I saw her doing that either. She's pretty bizarre."

"Yeah, I know," Keiko agreed.

"She wasn't talking to herself," Kinuka muttered irritably.

"Eh?" Keiko replied. "Well, what was she doing then?"

Kinuka's face was already turning red. "I don't know," she grumbled as she turned away.

Azumi habitually began to adjust her glasses before she remembered that they were back in the changing room. "Do you know something we don't, Kinuka-chan?"

Kinuka frowned. "Is gossiping all you ever do?"

"Don't be like that," Azumi insisted. "We're just curious."

"Just drop it."

Azumi glared "What's your problem?"

"Leave me alone," Kinuka snapped.

"Hey, come one," Keiko pleaded, stepping between them. "It's not really important, is it?"

Azumi looked suddenly mollified. "I guess not," she agreed.

Kinuka shot them both a glare and stalked off, not stopping until she was a good distance away from the three.

"What was that about?" Keiko wondered.

"Don't ask me," Azumi murmured dejectedly.

Sumiko shook her head. "I think you two just got on her nerves," she answered. She glanced over at where Kinuka was silently fuming. "I'll go make sure she's ok."

Kinuka didn't look up when Sumiko joined her.

"Is something bothering you?" Sumiko asked flatly.

"Not really," Kinuka replied after a moment.

"Don't give me that. I know all that gossiping gets old, but something made you mad. What is it?"

"Nothing."

Sumiko sighed. "Fine. If you don't want to talk about it, then there's nothing I can do."

It was a couple of minutes before Kinuka said anything. Finally she leaned in close and whispered, "If I tell you something, will you keep it a secret? Even from those two?"

Sumiko looked surprised. "Sure," she promised. "I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"Thank you," Kinuka replied. "I don't want to talk about it here. After school, can you meet me at that tree where we sometimes eat lunch?"

"Um, ok," Sumiko agreed, wondering what Kinuka needed so much privacy for. For now that seemed to be all that she was willing to say.

* * *

"Hurry up," Keiko urged as the last of the students not on cleaning duty left the classroom. "You're taking forever."

"Just go on without me," Sumiko replied as she slowly put away her notebook. "I need to go talk to Modoki-sensei about something."

"Really? About what?"

"I'm supposed to be drafting a permission slip for that hiking trip we've got coming up, but I need her to give me all the final details first."

It was only partially a lie. She was waiting on that information, but the teachers were still discussing the schedule and likely wouldn't have it ready today.

"Oh, it is almost time for that, isn't it?" Keiko recalled. "I've been looking forward to it." She thought for a moment. "I wish I could come with you, but I promised my Mom I'd do the laundry today."

"That's ok," Sumiko assured her. She hadn't figured that Keiko would stay for anything that sounded even vaguely like work.

"Well, if you're sure."

"Yeah, I'll call you later if I find out anything."

Keiko nodded. "Ok, I'll talk to you later then."

After Keiko left, Sumiko stayed in the classroom and watched out the window until she saw the green-haired girl heading home.

"You're not on cleaning duty this week, are you, Mendou-san?

Sumiko spun around. "Uh, um, no, Kobe-san," she told the mischievous looking girl waiting patiently to finish sweeping the area. "Sorry, I'll be leaving now."

Her classmate winked. "Don't be so jumpy, Mendou-san. You don't want to blow a fuse, now do you?"

"Blow a fuse?" Sumiko repeated dumbly.

"Ah, I just meant it as a figure of speech," Edy explained, lowering her voice. "I know you use automatically resetting breakers."

"Huh?" Sumiko was trying hard not to panic. There was no way the girl could know something like that.

Edy seemed to know what Sumiko was thinking. "Surely you didn't think your people were the only ones working on A.I. development?" she whispered. "But still, I'm a bit surprised at how sophisticated you are. You're a far cry more intelligent than the V Series."

"Sorry, but I really don't know what you're talking about," Sumiko denied.

"If you say so," Edy replied. "Well, if you ever want to discuss it, just let me know."

Not knowing what else to say, Sumiko just nodded and hastily made her exit. She raced through the hall towards the shoe lockers, her mind racing. Her first impulse was to contact her mother immediately, but she remembered her promise to meet Kinuka behind the school. Something told her the girl wouldn't forgive being stood up.


	9. Meetings and Reunions

Far away from the yet noisy courtyard and hallways of the school, the budding lawn seemed very tranquil, especially the areas shaded by the spreading branches of the large tree near the fence. Only the occasional faint shouts served as a reminder of the school's boisterous students celebrating the end of the day.

Sumiko rapidly crossed the schoolyard and drew near to the lonely tree. Even though it appeared deserted, she didn't bother worrying if Kinuka was already there. The silver-haired girl had said she would be her there, and that was enough.

"Hey," Sumiko said as she leaned up against the trunk, breaking the near silence. "Sorry I'm late, I had to make sure Keiko-chan didn't see me."

There was no reply. After a long moment, Sumiko continued. "What are you wanting to talk about?"

Even though she was certain that Kinuka was lurking somewhere above her, it still startled Sumiko a bit when her classmate dropped down to the ground directly in front of her.

"Thanks for coming," Kinuka said nervously as she settled down cross-legged on the ground.

"It's no problem," Sumiko replied as she sat down as well. "So, what's up?"

The shorter girl bit her lip and focused her gaze firmly on the ground between them. "This is embarrassing to talk about," Kinuka started, her voice low. "The only other person I've told is my grandfather."

Sumiko nodded, not sure what to say. "Whatever it is, it won't go any farther than here," she promised when Kinuka didn't immediately continue.

"Thank you," Kinuka replied. She took a deep breath as if gathering up her courage. "I can see things that normal people can't." She glanced up worriedly. "Things like ghosts and spirits."

Sumiko looked puzzled. "That's not so unusual. Sakura-san and Cherry-sama can see them too. Heck, even I saw a few when I used to hang out at Sakura-san's shrine."

"It's not unheard of," Kinuka replied uneasily. "But most people can only see them when they wish to be seen. Spirits have to really concentrate to become visible."

"Ah, is that right?" Sumiko asked. "I didn't know."

"But I can always see them." Kinuka paused. "Do you remember Aizaka Sayo-chan?"

Sumiko nodded. "She's in our class, right? But she hardly ever shows up."

"Sayo-chan hasn't missed a single day. She just doesn't make herself visible."

Sumiko cocked an eyebrow. "Are you saying Aizaka-san is a ghost?"

"Yes," Kinuka answered without hesitation.

"Seriously?"

"Yes." Kinuka gave her an uneasy look. "She's lonely and really shy, but sometimes she'll talk to me."

"I had no idea."

"Mamiya-chan can see her too," Kinuka revealed. "And we could both see Rokudo-san this morning when no one else could. Before he was introduced, he came and sat in his seat for a bit. But he was wearing a weird haori then, and only Mamiya-chan, Sayo-chan and I could see him. I'm pretty sure he could see Sayo-chan too."

"Ok..." Sumiko replied. "So he's a ghost too?"

"No. I'm don't know what he is, but he's not a spirit." Kinuka fell silent for a moment again. "That's why I was irritated earlier. They were making fun of Mamiya-san, but she isn't crazy or anything."

"So why are you so embarrassed about this?" Sumiko inquired. "I think that's a pretty amazing gift."

Kinuka didn't look up. "I'm already so different," she murmured. "Please don't tell anyone."

Sumiko nodded. "Ok, I already promised I wouldn't. But I really don't think Azumi-chan and Keiko-san would think it was a big deal."

The shorter girl nodded. "You're probably right. But I want to keep it just between us right now." She stood abruptly and dusted off her uniform before bowing low. "Thank you for listening," she said before dashing off in the direction of the front courtyard.

Sumiko watched her go. "Spirits, huh?" she murmured to herself. "This class just keeps getting weirder."

* * *

Keiko caught up to Kenma Saotome just outside the front gates. "Hey," she called out as she swooped down in front of him. "Are you heading home?"

He simply nodded, having gotten used to the energetic half-oni suddenly appearing from nowhere. "Yeah, I am."

"Do you want to go somewhere with me first?" she asked eagerly.

For a moment he looked like he was going to decline, but he suddenly nodded.

"Sure," he agreed. "Where do you want to go?"

Keiko's eyes widened as she realized he had actually said yes. "Really? Uh, I don't know. Anywhere is fine."

"Um, ok," he replied. "Then how about we just go for a walk and see where we end up?"

"Ok!" she replied, setting down lightly on the ground. "That sounds like a lot of fun."

They set out walking down the sidewalk, Keiko staying uncharacteristically quiet as she wondered why he had said yes this time.

"So," she said after a moment, "It's been a while since we did anything together, hasn't it?"

"I guess so. It's kind of rare that I don't have something to do."

"Ah," Keiko said quietly. "Same here." She was silent for a moment. "So, today was the first time we got to swim, wasn't it? Did you have fun?"

"Yeah, that was a nice change," Kenma answered. "It beats just jogging all the time."

"I guess," she replied. "I've never been a huge fan of swimming, but it's nice on a hot day." She snuck a glance at him. "Did you see me in my suit?"

He faintly blushed. "Ah, I wasn't really paying attention," he replied.

"You didn't?" she pouted. "But I even waved to you."

"Sorry," he replied. "I'm sure you looked really cute."

"I did!" she agreed. "That's why I wanted you to see."

Kenma blushed even harder. "Next time I'll be sure to look."

"Make sure you do," Keiko told him.

"You know, you're always so confident," he observed. "I'm surprised you don't have a boyfriend yet."

Keiko was speechless for a moment. "Well, it's not from a lack of trying," she finally murmured.

"Hmm?"

"Oh, nothing," she answered quickly. "So how come a good looking guy like you is single?"

"I don't know," he replied uneasily. "I keep pretty busy."

"That's not much of an excuse," she noted.

He shrugged. "A couple of girls have confessed to me this year, but I wasn't really interested."

"Oh really? Who?"

He coughed. "I think it'd be kind of rude to them if I said anything."

"One of them was Hidemi, wasn't it?"

"I'm not telling," he firmly replied.

"Eh, that's no fun," Keiko complained. "Anyways, how come you weren't interested?"

He looked uneasy again. "Relationships just seem like a lot of trouble, don't they?"

"I don't think so," she disagreed vehemently. "I think they're great."

Kenma shook his head. "You should try living with my family then. It's nothing but one headache after another."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," he continued. "For example, my dad always has like two or three women chasing after him. Even though he's been married to my mom all these years, they just won't let up."

"Well, that's a bit shameful," Keiko replied.

"They're more annoying than anything. Especially Shampoo-san. She's always coming over and throwing herself all over Dad. And then Mom gets really mad at Dad, and it's nothing but yelling and doors slamming for days."

"That does sound rough," she agreed. "My parents argue about silly stuff sometimes, but overall they get along really well."

He nodded. "In any case, I just want to steer clear of that sort of thing."

"So even if you met a really nice girl, you wouldn't go out with her?"

Kenma sighed. "It's better to just have good friends, isn't it?"

"I don't think you should give up on love without ever trying it," Keiko retorted. "That's just silly."

"Have you been in love before?" he abruptly demanded

"I've had a few crushes," she admitted hesitantly. "I don't know for sure if it was love."

"And it never worked out, did it?"

"Well, no, I guess not." She glared at him. "Maybe that's because some guys are just too dense."

He chuckled. "Maybe you're right."

"Why are you laughing?" she demanded crossly. "It's not funny. Haven't you ever had a crush on anyone?"

"Never," he denied. "I told you, I try to steer clear of that kind of thing."

"It's not something you can just decide to avoid," she retorted. "After all, you can't control who you like, can you?"

"I guess not," he conceded.

They walked on in silence for a few more minutes before Kenma finally spoke up again.

"Are you feeling ok?" he asked tentatively. "You got really quiet all of the sudden."

"Yeah, I'm fine," she quietly replied.

"You aren't mad about anything?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm not."

"You sound mad," he persisted.

She gritted her teeth and looked away, trying to hide her irritation. "It sure is a nice day out, isn't it?" she finally managed to bite out.

"Oh yeah, it's beautiful," he sputtered nervously. "I guess summer really is on the way."

"Yeah," she agreed. "After the hiking trip the semester will be pretty well over."

"Ah, the trip!" Kenma exclaimed. "I'd almost forgot about that." He thought for a moment. "We're supposed to spend the night at the top, right?"

"Yeah, I think so," she murmured. She fell silent as indecision gripped her. Considering what he had just said, it was probably stupid to keep trying. Then again, she knew she wasn't the smartest person. Having made her decision, she clenched her fists and pressed on. "During the hike, will you walk with me?"

"Um, sure," he agreed, taken aback by her forceful tone. "But won't your other friends feel lonely?"

"They'll be ok without me," she said confidently. "It's not we don't hang out all the time."

"Alright then," he replied. "We'll plan on it then."

She smiled. It wasn't much of a step forward, but it was a small victory nonetheless. "Thank you, Kenma-kun."

* * *

"What do you know about a "V Series" of A.I.?"

Sayomi blinked, her eyes slowly coming into focus as she disconnected from the security system. "The V Series?" she repeated. "That's the project that the Crypton Corporation has been working on." She frowned. "Where did you hear about them? They shouldn't be public knowledge just yet."

"This afternoon this girl at school mentioned them," Sumiko admitted. "It appears that she knows a lot about us too."

"What? Who is she, and how much does she know?"

"I don't know. Her name's Kobe Edy-san. She told me we aren't the only ones working on A.I. and that she knows we use circuit breakers."

"Kobe, huh?" Sayomi replied, her worried expression disappearing. "She must be Kobe Hitoshi-san's kid."

"Who's he?"

"You don't keep up very well, do you? He's gotten pretty famous for his work on A.I. programs over at M.I.T. I think he just came back to Japan earlier this year." She thought for a moment. "The V series is actually his sister's work, but I'm sure he had a hand in it too."

"I've never been all that interested in programming," Sumiko retorted. "I didn't think human technology was that advanced yet."

"I know you're more interested in the mechanical side of things, but his work's pretty amazing," Sayomi continued. "I've tried to get him to come work for us several times, but he prefers to work independently."

"So you told him about us?"

Sayomi smiled tightly. "Unfortunately, there isn't any way to hide what we are from his creations. They can detect and directly interact with any nearby circuitry. It's an ability I only wish we could achieve."

"That would come in handy," Sumiko admitted. "His programs must be pretty amazing."

"Yeah, they are. What's really amazing about it is that he did it all using human technology. Even though I mostly built our bodies out of local materials, many of our circuitry components are directly copied from oni designs."

"But you achieved self-awareness with only human designed components, and you did it all on your own," Sumiko protested. "I think that's more amazing."

Her mother chuckled. "Don't feel inferior to them. Even though they have some abilities we lack, they can't beat us in raw processing power."

"Can't beat you at least," Sumiko muttered.

"Don't say things like that," Sayomi chided her.

Sumiko sighed. "It's true. It's like that time those aliens were in our labs. I couldn't detect anything."

"Honey, I designed the entire security system. Plus I've got some experience in hacking alien networks."

"Still, I wasn't of any use."

"It wasn't your job," her mother protested. "You're still a teenager. Let me worry about stuff like that."

"Yeah, I don't have much choice," Sumiko replied grumpily. "Anyways, is Father still coming home tonight?"

"He got held up in Germany. He should be home sometime tomorrow though."

"It seems like he's barely ever home anymore."

"I know," Sayomi sighed. "I miss him too, but he's got a lot of responsibilities."

"Are you sure he's not just drooling over some old tanks?" Sumiko demanded.

"I wouldn't be too surprised if he worked that in, but that's not it. He's been in meetings with the European branch executives."

"Seems like he could do all that from here," Sumiko grumped.

"You know how your father is," Sayomi replied. "He thinks it's rude to not go meet them in person."

"How old fashioned."

"Well, that's your father in a nutshell," Sayomi agreed.

* * *

"I can't believe we're finally back," Mendou Shutaro said with a yawn as he opened the limousine's door. His face immediately brightened as he caught sight of his wife and daughter waiting dutifully for him. "Hey, you two," he greeted them pleasantly as he climbed out. "Sorry it's so late, but I'm home."

"Welcome home, dear" Sayomi replied as she rushed over and embraced him tightly. "It's so lonely around here when you're gone."

He rested his chin on her head and wrapped his arms around her. "Sorry about that," he apologized. "I tried to hurry."

"Welcome back, Father," Sumiko greeted him more formally.

Shutaro grinned as he carefully extracted himself from his wife's embrace. "Sumiko, how have you been?"

"My, what a touching scene this is," interjected a calm sounding female voice from inside the car. "I see why you were so eager to return, Big Brother."

Shutaro rolled his eyes. "I picked up a stowaway in France," he explained.

"Is that any way to refer to your beloved sister?" the woman asked as she took the hand of one of the kuroko that had silently appeared. She emerged carefully, making sure not to damage her exquisite gown. "It's been so very long since I've been home, after all."

"Aunt Ryoko!" Sumiko exclaimed excitedly.

"Ryoko, it's been way too long," Sayomi cheerfully greeted her. "I didn't know you were planning to come back."

"I wasn't really planning on it," Ryoko admitted. "But then I ran into Shutaro, and I just started feeling so nostalgic."

"Are you going to stay a while?" Sumiko demanded.

"Well, I don't want to promise anything," Ryoko mused. "But I don't have any plans to leave anytime soon."

Shutaro glanced around, suddenly noticing the large group of black clad men gathering around them. "It looks like your servants all missed you."

Ryoko giggled. "Hello everyone," she greeted them. "I hope you've all been well in my absence." She glanced over at her brother. "Have you been taking good care of them?"

He shot her an irritated look. "I never even see any of them unless you're around," he replied. "Besides, they're on your payroll, not mine."

"Big Brother, you're so harsh," Ryoko replied. She smiled and turned her attention to her eager niece. "Sumiko-chan, I can't believe how grown up you look!"

"Ah, do I?"

"You sure do," Ryoko confirmed more quietly as she critically studied the girl's figure. "Is that a totally new body?"

"Yeah," Sumiko bashfully admitted. "I guess I've had a couple of refits since you left."

"I can see that," Ryoko laughed. "You've grown into quite a young lady, haven't you?" She looked up innocently at Shutaro. "You know, she really doesn't look much like you, does she?"

His face reddened a bit. "You don't think so?" he asked plaintively.

Ryoko shook her head and sidled up close to Sayomi. "Is Big Brother really even the father?" she whispered.

Sayomi didn't look amused. "Don't torment my poor Shutaro," she scolded as she put her arms around him. "I made sure Sumiko resembles him."

Ryoko put her hand over her mouth to hide her smile. "Maybe I've said too much," she replied dramatically. "Can you possibly forgive me?"

"You aren't ever going to grow up, are you?" Shutaro grumbled.

"Where is the fun in that?" Ryoko demanded as she headed for the front door of the mansion. "Grown ups have so many responsibilities, don't they?"

"I guess you wouldn't know anything about that," he retorted as he strode after her, his wife and daughter in tow.

"I try my best to remain apart from such disagreeable ideas," she replied haughtily. "Honestly, I think you could do with some time away from it as well."

"We all don't have that luxury," he replied. "Someone has to run things around here."

"And she does a wonderful job," Ryoko noted. "It's really too bad she has to manage everything while you're off rubbing elbows all around the world."

"I don't' do that much," Sayomi protested. "Shutaro's the one out there making the big decisions."

"Yes, I'm sure he is," Ryoko sighed as she entered the foyer. "In any case, it's been a long trip, and while I hate to be rude, I could really use a bit of sleep."

"You're suite is kept always ready for you, my lady," one of the kuroko who had followed them in announced.

"Thank you," she replied. "Good night, everyone. Oh, and I've got a lot of planning to do, so don't get too worried if you don't hear from me for a few days."

"Planning? What for?" Shutaro demanded.

"You'll see soon enough, Big Brother," Ryoko promised as she scampered off.

"That's certainly worrisome," he noted as she disappeared down the hall.

"Oh, let her have some fun," Sayomi replied. "I know you've missed her."

Shutaro frowned. "I was really surprised when she said she wanted to come back with me. She hasn't spent much time on the estate since we rebuilt everything."

"Well, This place has a lot of bad memories for her," Sayomi quietly reminded him. "I can't really blame her for staying away so long."

"I just hope she doesn't go overboard around here," he said nervously. He glanced back at Sumiko. "Try to keep out of whatever she's up to. Trouble tends to follow her around."


	10. Forward, March: A Demanding Hike

"Ok, is anyone still missing?"

"Keiko-chan isn't here yet, Sensei," Sumiko announced. She double-checked the roll once again. "But the rest of the class is now present."

"It's getting so late," Mako sighed. "The other buses left five minutes ago. We really can't wait any longer."

"We should just leave without her," Hidemi announced petulantly. "If she doesn't have the common courtesy to show up on time, I see no reason to waste our precious time.

"She's definitely coming," Azumi protested as she tried Keiko's number for the tenth time. "I talked to her last night, and she was really excited about today."

"That's all very well and good," Mako replied. "But everyone was supposed to be here a half hour ago."

"But you only got here ten minutes ago," Shin innocently pointed out.

"Be quiet, Yoshito-kun," Mako snapped back. "I had a good reason for being late."

"What's that?" he asked.

"None of your business!"

"In any case, we can't just leave without her, can we?" Azumi pleaded.

Their teacher shook her head. "Everyone, let's go ahead and get seated on the bus. That way if she does show up we'll be ready to go." She glanced over at Sumiko. "Make sure you keep a good headcount of everyone today. I don't want any lost students on this trip."

"Ok," Sumiko promised as she watched the students shuffle onto the bus. "Jeez," she grumbled more quietly to Azumi. "Like it's not enough responsibility just being a group leader, now she wants me to keep up with everyone else too."

"We'll help you out," Azumi muttered as she scanned the skies for their missing friend.

There was still no sign of Keiko as the teacher reluctantly followed Sumiko onto the bus. "Well, I guess she's not coming," Mako announced.

"Can't we wait just a little bit longer?" Azumi asked.

"If we don't get going now, it'll be dark before we finish hiking," Mako explained. "I'm sorry, but we can't."

"Keiko's hardly ever late," Azumi said to herself. "How come it had to be today?"

"Don't worry about it," Sumiko told her as she took the seat next to Kinuka.

"Don't you even care?" Azumi muttered irritably as she glanced back at Sumiko.

The bus shuddered as the engine roared to life. "Everyone make sure to stay in your seats while we're moving," the driver announced. He glanced over at the teacher. "That means you too, Modoki-sensei."

"Yes, ok," Mako replied as she sat down in the front row next to Shin.

"Why do I have to sit up here?" Shin grumped.

"Because I don't trust you," she replied. "I'm keeping an eye on you until we get back."

He slyly grinned. "Are you sure you aren't just trying to flirt with me?"

In reply she merely gave him a disgusted look. "Let's get going," she ordered.

"Here we go," the driver announced as the bus lurched forward.

* * *

They had barely gone a couple of miles when the bus suddenly slowed to a crawl.

"Now what's all this about?" the driver wondered out loud, scratching his head.

A long procession of large tanks slowly rumbled down the formerly empty street in front of them, completely blocking their way.

Azumi peered out the window. "What in the world?" she asked. Noticing an octopus symbol on the side of one of the turrets, she glanced back at Sumiko. "Do you know anything about this?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sumiko calmly denied. "It looks like they're just out on maneuvers."

"Right in the middle of town? And on this particular street?" Azumi demanded

Sumiko looked her dead in the eye. "Urban maneuvers are important."

Azumi smiled and settled back down in her seat. "I knew you were worried," she mumbled.

As the minutes slowly passed and the tanks showed no signs of moving out of the way, Mako looked more and more agitated. "Can't we go another way?" she demanded.

"Where am I supposed to go?" the driver replied as he pointed out the tanks now flanking the bus on both sides.

"This is just great," she grumbled.

A black sports car suddenly skidded into view from behind them and screeched to a stop directly to the rear of the bus.

"Hey, Sensei, there's Moroboshi-san!" one of the students in the back called out.

Azumi peered back to see the green-haired girl emerging from the car, a large backpack clutched in her hand.

Mako shook her head. "That's one of my students," she explained. "Could you please let her on?"

"Sure, it's not like we're moving anyways," the driver replied as he opened the door.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone!" Keiko called out as she swooped in. "I guess I overslept."

"You're just lucky that we got held up," Mako told her sternly. "But how did you know where to find us?"

Keiko shrugged. "No idea," she replied blithely as she headed back towards the empty seat next to Azumi.

"Hey," she told her friends as she settled down. "I guess I made it after all."

"Yeah, you sure are lucky," Azumi observed. "I was afraid you were going to miss the whole trip."

"All the tanks are moving out of the way now," the driver pointed out as they started moving again.

"How about that," Mako replied dryly. "Well, you'd better step on it if we're going to get there."

Kinuka glanced over at Sumiko, but her expression remained unreadable. "Impressive," she whispered.

"Urban maneuvers are unpredictable," Sumiko replied stoically.

"How could you oversleep today of all days?" Azumi demanded.

"I was so nervous that I couldn't fall asleep last night," Keiko hissed back. "He's going to be in our group, you know?"

"You're hopeless," Sumiko spoke up.

"Sorry," Keiko replied. "I really owe you one."

Sumiko shook her head and looked away, her face slightly red.

Keiko yawned as she turned back around. "I'm really glad I didn't miss today," she murmured."

"Are you still tired?" Azumi demanded as Keiko's eyes started to close.

"I just got woken up ten minutes ago," she muttered sleepily.

Azumi shook her head. "You'd better not sleep the whole way."

"I'll try to stay awake," Keiko promised as her eyes struggled to stay open.

Azumi sighed. "It's fine, just get some rest," she said more gently. "You've got a big day coming up."

* * *

"Come on, wake up already!" Azumi grumped as she softly shook Keiko's arm.

"Something like that's not going to work," Sumiko observed as she leaned over the seat. Carefully grabbing a single strand of Keiko's long hair, she unceremoniously yanked it out.

"Ouch!" Keiko complained as her eyes snapped open. "Who did that?"

"I did," Sumiko replied, dropping the strand right on Keiko's irritable face. "Now get ready, we're here."

Keiko blew the hair away and glanced out the window at the thick forest nearby. "Oh, we are, aren't we?"

"Ok, everyone, I want you to all stay close to the bus until we're ready to start," Mako announced as she ushered Shin off first.

"Here we go," Azumi said as she stood up. "Are you excited?"

"More nervous than anything," Keiko admitted as she caught sight of Kenma near the back of the bus. She gave her friends a wary look. "So you're all going to hang back a bit, right?"

"Don't worry, I don't want to be anywhere near him," Sumiko mumbled.

"We'll make sure to give you some room," Azumi promised as she led the way down the aisle.

The four gathered in front of the bus along with the rest of their class and waited patiently as the teacher finished speaking with the bus driver.

"Well, it looks like the other classes already started without us," Mako announced as she glanced around the mostly deserted parking area. "Now listen up! I want everyone to be careful out there. This is going to be a long hike, so make sure you stay hydrated. And even though I know that some of you aren't the fastest walkers, make sure you stay with your group at all times."

"What if the rest of your group walks into a bunch of thorns?" Shin asked.

"You're the only one who would do something like that," Mako retorted. "Now please be quiet." She turned back towards the rest of the class. "Group leaders, make sure no one leaves the path. And if someone's lagging behind, I expect the whole group to slow down for them."

She signaled for Sumiko to come forward. "I want your group to stay in the rear," she explained. "Make sure no one gets separated from the other groups."

"Ok," Sumiko promised.

"Well then, let's get in our groups and get going," Mako continued. "We're really going to have to hurry if we're going to make it before it gets dark."

* * *

"It turned out to be a really nice day," Keiko observed, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Yeah, it did," Kenma agreed. "This wouldn't be any fun if it started raining."

"I know." She was silent for a moment. "I'm really embarrassed that I was so late earlier," she admitted.

"I don't think it was a big deal," he replied. "Mendou-san helped you out, didn't she?"

"Yeah, she did."

"I think that it's nice that you have such good friends," he continued. "Takamura-san kept asking the teacher if we could wait a bit longer for you."

Keiko blushed. "Azumi is really nice," she replied.

"So they're hanging back on purpose, right?" he suddenly asked.

She glanced back at the three girls. "No, not really," she lied. "Azumi's taking a lot of pictures, and Sumiko has to make sure no one gets left behind."

"Ah, I see," he replied, not sounding convinced.

"I'm glad we already switched over to summer uniforms," she remarked. "I already feel like I'm about to start sweating."

"Yeah, it is kind of warm," he agreed.

Several long minutes passed as Keiko desperately tried to figure out something to talk about. She had lain awake for hours the night before trying to think of topics to discuss, but now that he was actually here absolutely nothing was coming to mind.

She was surprised when he was the one to finally break the silence again.

"I'm kind of happy to get away from the house for a couple of days," he began, nervously scratching the back of his head. "My mom was on a real rampage this morning. I figure Pop must have said something stupid again."

"Is that so?" she asked lamely.

"Yeah, he's pretty tactless most of the time," Kenma continued. "I guess it kind of runs in the family though."

"I'm sure he's not that bad. My dad, on the other hand... well, he's just kind of unique," Keiko replied.

He laughed. "I guess no one's family is really normal, huh?'

"Probably not," she agreed. "Heaven knows mine isn't."

"But I guess my family is pretty boring compared to yours though, right?" he asked. "Isn't your mom like an alien princess or something?"

"Not really," Keiko answered, her face turning slightly red. "My grandfather is more like a general than royalty."

He nodded. "Still, that's pretty different."

"I guess so," she replied. "It doesn't really mean anything here on Earth though."

"I suppose not," he quietly agreed. "It must be neat being able to fly though, right?"

"Oh, I love flying. Walking is such a pain." She scowled. "Our P.E. teacher said if I didn't walk the whole way, I wasn't going to get any credit for the trip."

"Sorry."

"It's alright," she sighed. "I need the exercise anyways."

"Is there anything else special that you can do?" he asked.

"Well, I can shoot lightning," she revealed.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, see," she said, holding her hands out in front of her.

His eyes widened as a series of crackling sparks jumped between her fingers.

"That's crazy," he marveled. "I've heard stories about those who could control the elements, but I've never actually seen anything like that."

"It's no big deal," she murmured. "Besides, I can't control it nearly as well as my mom can."

"I think it's pretty cool."

* * *

"What do you think that they're talking about up there?" Azumi demanded eagerly.

"No idea," Sumiko responded glumly. "Probably something stupid."

"Now don't be like that," Azumi scolded. A catty smile appeared on her face. "Could it be that you're jealous?"

"What? No way. I can't stand that guy."

The taller girl coughed. "I was actually thinking you're jealous of him taking Keiko-chan away from you," she murmured.

"I don't really care."

"Anyways," Azumi continued as she pulled her camera out. "It looks like you're having fun, Kinuka-chan."

Kinuka nodded, not taking her eyes off the pair walking up ahead.

"I hope I can get some good pictures," Azumi muttered as she made some adjustments on her camera. Momentarily satisfied, she pointed it at Sumiko. "Smile!"

Sumiko's eyes shot wide open as the flash went off. "Ah, don't do that so close," she complained as she rapidly blinked to recalibrate her vision.

"Heh," Azumi laughed as she checked out the picture on the camera's display. "You look really surprised."

"Tell me you're going to delete that," Sumiko groaned.

"No, I really think this one should go in the paper."

"Don't mess with someone who has a private army at her disposal."

"Don't you believe in freedom of the press?" Azumi demanded.

"No."

"Fine, fine, I won't use it."

"You two are being really noisy," Kinuka spoke up.

"Well excuse us," Azumi replied, playfully tousling the shorter girl's hair. "This is a field trip after all."

Kinuka carefully smoothed her silky hair back down. "I'm trying to listen."

"You can hear them?"

"Not when you're gabbing," Kinuka retorted.

"Amazing!" Azumi replied. "What are they talking about?"

"She's telling a story about Sumiko-chan."

"What about me?" Sumiko demanded.

"Something about you throwing a big fit over some toy. A stuffed frog named Gunso."

"What?" Sumiko's felt her cheeks growing warm. "That little brat! I can't believe she's still making fun of me."

"What happened?" Azumi asked, trying to hold back a smile.

"Back when we were little, like four or five, she stole my favorite toy and hid it from me," Sumiko explained angrily. "She kept teasing me that she had burned it to a crisp!"

Azumi cast a glance up at the two. "But she eventually gave it back, right?"

"No! She completely forgot where she hid it." Sumiko grumped. "I was really upset about that."

"That's pretty harsh."

"My father found me another one, but it just wasn't the same." Sumiko clenched her fists. "Now I'm getting angry all over again."

"Keiko isn't laughing about it," Kinuko spoke up. "She says she always felt really guilty about it."

Sumiko's face turned even redder as her mouth clamped shut. "She did apologize a lot back then," she finally admitted.

Azumi grinned. "I'm sure she really meant to give it back."

"Yeah, I know she did," Sumiko agreed reluctantly. "She used to tease me a lot, but after losing Gunso she never hid any of my toys again."

"She's been telling a bunch of stories about when you two were little," Kinuka revealed. "Are you really terrified of dark places?"

"Nyctophobia isn't that uncommon," Sumiko sniffed. "Besides, it's not that bad anymore." She shook her head irritably. "Why is she only saying embarrassing stuff about me?"

"You must be a good icebreaker," Azumi suggested.

"Well, Keiko used to wet the bed when she stayed over," Sumiko grumbled. "And everyone knew it was her too."

Azumi had to fight hard not to burst out laughing.

* * *

"Ugh, how long have we been going now?" Keiko practically whined. "It seems like we're never going to get there."

"Almost four hours," Kenma replied, checking his watch. "We started a little after three."

"I can't believe they're making us walk this far." She willed herself not to wince as the throbbing in her feet increased. "Would you mind if I took a breather?"

"No, go on ahead," he replied worriedly. "But we're already way behind the rest of the class, so we need to make it quick."

She sighed as she sank down to the ground, carefully stretching her legs out in front of her. "I guess I'm just not used to this sort of thing."

"Seriously? You're taking another break?" Sumiko demanded as she and the other two girls surrounded Keiko. "We're never going to get there at this rate."

"I can't help it," Keiko retorted quietly, tears springing into her eyes. "I don't walk all that much, and my feet hurt really bad."

Azumi knelt down beside her in a flash. "Let me see," she demanded.

"That's ok," Keiko replied nervously.

"Now."

Blushing, Keiko gingerly removed one of her shoes and stripped her sock off.

Azumi winced as she caught sight of the large raw blisters forming on her friend's swollen foot. "That looks terrible," she scolded. "Why didn't you say something earlier?"

Keiko glared at her. "It's embarrassing," she hissed. "Don't tell him."

"I don't think you should try walking any more," Azumi told her in a concerned tone. "Just fly from now on."

"But Kesshutsu-sensei said I have to walk the whole way," Keiko protested.

Sumiko peered over Azumi's shoulder. "Don't be an idiot," she said bluntly. "I'll speak to the teachers about it. You've done really well today, but it's obvious that this is too much for you."

"Is everything ok?" Kenma asked as he tried to peer around the gathered girls.

Keiko hurriedly slipped her sock back on, wincing from the pain. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied.

"Keiko's just tired," Sumiko interrupted her. "Stop being so stubborn about it," she scolded Keiko. "Either you fly the rest of the way, or I'm going to make this guy carry you."

Kenma looked confused. "Huh?"

"Fine, I'll fly," Keiko quickly relented, her face bright red.

"Do you need me to carry you?" Kenma asked.

"Nah, I'll be ok flying. It doesn't take much energy."

"Ok then," he replied uncertainly.

Well, if you're flying, then let's get going already," Sumiko announced. "I don't want to be out here when the sun goes down."

Keiko carefully put her shoe back on. "Fine," she said quietly as she rose into the air. "Sorry for holding everyone up."

"You didn't," Azumi assured her. "You know I'm not all that fast myself."

Keiko nodded, but she still looked depressed as they continued on their way.

* * *

Despite their best efforts, by the time Sumiko's group reached the end of the train darkness had already fallen on the mountain. They could only barely see their teacher waiting impatiently for them to arrive. The rest of the students appeared to have already started eating their dinner around a large bonfire.

"Where were you guys?" Mako demanded as soon as they reached her, her expression a mixture of worry and irritation. "You're a half hour late."

"Sorry, Sensei," Sumiko spoke up. "It was my fault that we fell behind a bit."

Their teacher shook her head. "Just make sure that doesn't happen tomorrow," she warned them. "I don't want the rest of the class to have to wait for you guys." She caught sight of Keiko hovering in the back of the group and sighed. "Moroboshi-san, you know you aren't supposed to be flying on this trip. That's going to be a big deduction in your P.E. grade."

Keiko immediately sank to the ground. "Sorry," she said dejectedly.

"Sensei, Keiko-chan walked most of the way," Sumiko interjected. "Since she tried her best, shouldn't she be given the credit anyways?"

Mako shook her head. "It's not up to me."

"Yeah, but if you spoke with Kesshutsu-sensei, she might change her mind."

"What's there to say?" Mako argued. "It's not fair to everyone else, and Moroboshi-san was given fair warning."

"As the group leader and class representative, you gave me the responsibility of helping take care of everyone," Sumiko snapped. "I'm the one who told her to fly the rest of the way here. If you're going to deduct points from anyone, you should deduct them from me."

"That's not how it works," Mako stuttered, taken aback by Sumiko's sudden assertiveness.

"I don't think this is being very fair either," Kenma spoke up. "Keiko-chan really did try hard to walk the whole way."

Sumiko shook her head. "Saotome-kun, could you please go ahead of us?"

"But..."

"Please? You owe me one," she reminded him.

"Fine," he grumbled as he headed off to join the other students.

"Keiko-chan's didn't want him to know, but her feet are in really bad shape," Sumiko continued once Kenma was a safe distance away. "She couldn't have kept walking like that."

"How bad are they? Let me see," Mako replied worriedly as she knelt down.

With a sigh Keiko obediently removed her footwear once again.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry, Moroboshi-san," Mako apologized as she focused her flashlight on the girl's swollen feet. "These blisters could get infected. We need to get these cleaned and bandaged up right away." She peered up at Keiko's face, noticing the tears on her cheeks. "It must hurt really bad, right?"

"Just a little," Keiko admitted.

"Now, it's nothing to be embarrassed about," Mako assured her. "I know that you don't usually walk much, but I had no idea your feet were this tender." She shook her head and stood up "I'm glad Ozuno-sensei came along. Inutaishō-san, could you please go tell her we need her?"

Kinuka nodded and dashed off to find the nurse.

"Come on, Moroboshi-san. We'll get a bed ready for you."

* * *

"Here, I brought you some food," Sumiko announced as she returned the small cabin they had been assigned to.

"I'm not hungry," Keiko replied, not lifting her eyes from the floor.

"You didn't have any breakfast or lunch," Sumiko reminded as she set the plate down next to Keiko. "You need to eat something."

Keiko was quiet for little while. "I keep hearing laughter from out there. What is everyone else doing?" she finally asked.

Sumiko sat down heavily on the other lower bunk. "I don't know," she replied. "The fire's starting to burn down, so most everyone's just sitting around talking."

"I don't see why I have to stay in here," Keiko sighed.

"Sakura-san said not to let you get up," Sumiko reminded her. "You're pretty tired, aren't you?"

"I guess," Keiko admitted. "But I don't feel like sleeping."

"Yeah, I suppose you did sleep a lot earlier."

"Today's just been a disaster from start to finish."

"It wasn't all bad," Sumiko protested. "You got to hang out with Saotome-kun a lot, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but I'm not making a good impression, am I?"

"I don't know about that. He's asked about you several times."

"Really?" Keiko perked up. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him you just needed to get some rest," Sumiko replied.

"You might as well have told him what happened. I won't be able to hide these tomorrow," Keiko grumped, looking at the bandages covering both of her feet."

"Yeah, there's no way," Sumiko agreed.

"Are Azumi-chan and Kinuka-chan having fun?"

"They said they'd come back as soon as they finish eating."

"No one's suspicious that you aren't eating?"

"I ate a little," Sumiko replied. "I told them I was too worried about you to eat much."

Keiko grinned. "You liar."

"I am worried about you," Sumiko replied irritably. "You're an idiot."

"Hey!"

"Well, you are," Sumiko scolded her. "You should have said something before it got this bad."

"Kenma probably thinks I'm pathetic," Keiko replied, her depression returning.

"I don't think so," Sumiko replied. "He's just worried." She glanced away and begrudgingly continued. "I guess he's not that bad of a guy after all."

"I saw him first," her friend growled.

"I am soooo not interested," Sumiko retorted.


	11. Does This Mountain Hate Us?

Sumiko cast one last glance back into the dark cabin to make sure Keiko was fast asleep before she rejoined her friends outside.

"It's really a shame that this happened," Azumi noted as they made their way over to where most of the other students were still gathered. "I think she would have had a lot of fun tonight."

"Yeah, probably," Sumiko agreed. "If she had just said something earlier, we could have avoided all this."

"Uh oh, here comes Saotome-san," Azumi warned.

"Is she doing ok?" he asked as soon as he caught up to them.

"Yes, she's just sleeping," Azumi assured him.

"She must be pretty delicate," he said worriedly. "I mean, yeah, it was a pretty long walk, but we weren't going all that fast."

Sumiko shook her head irritably. "She's not delicate; she's just lazy."

"Now, that's not really true," Azumi argued. "She just doesn't walk much, you know that."

Sumiko frowned. "It amounts to the same thing." She suddenly cast a dark glance at Kenma. "You know, this is mostly your fault. If you weren't there, she wouldn't have been so stubborn."

He blinked. "I-Is that right?" he stuttered. "I'm sorry. I really didn't know she was that tired."

"Don't be like that, Sumiko-chan," Azumi chided her.

"Just make sure you pay more attention to her from now on. I don't want her getting hurt again because of you." Sumiko leaned in close, her face nearly touching his own. "Do you understand what I mean?"

He stumbled back a step. "I-I understand," he replied nervously.

"Good," Sumiko replied as she stalked off into the darkness.

"Sorry about that," Azumi quickly apologized. "She's just worried about Keiko-chan."

Kenma nodded, but still looked depressed as he wandered away.

"Well, that was kind of uncomfortable," Azumi mumbled.

"I guess so," Kinuka agreed.

A pair of voices singing caught Azumi's attention "Hey, isn't that Kagamine-kun?"

"Yeah."

"That must be his sister next to him," Azumi mused as she watched the two. "I heard that he had a twin. She's so cute."

Kinuka nodded. "They sound nice."

"Yeah, they're really good. I bet they could even be idols if they tried." She was silent for a few minutes as they listened. "Ah, this is so nice! I just wish Keiko could be out here with us. I feel really bad just leaving her in there, but it's probably better if she gets some sleep."

"Yeah."

* * *

Sumiko sighed as she listened to the faint sounds of the duo singing. She had already wandered a good distance from the area illuminated by the fading bonfire, but with her enhanced vision she had no trouble picking her way through the sparse forest surrounding the campsite.

Another even fainter sound quickly caught her attention. Stepping lightly, she stepped out of the trees and found a pair of students sitting on the edge of a small cliff, appearing to gaze up at the thin sliver of moon overheard.

"It's so pretty out here," the slightly smaller of the two commented. "It reminds me of back home."

Sumiko quickly recognized the voice as one of her classmates, Udagawa Shino. Undoubtedly the other student was her constant companion, Gosuke.

As Sumiko watched silently, Gosuke hesitantly snaked an arm around Shino's shoulders. "Do you miss it much?"

"Sometimes," Shino admitted. "Everything's so confusing now." She smiled and leaned up against to the boy. "But it's also a lot safer here, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is," he agreed nervously. "I suppose it is."

"Besides, as long as you're here with me, I'm happy."

After watching the two cuddle for a few more minutes, Sumiko quietly slipped away, unwilling to disturb such a peaceful scene. Technically as the class representative it was her duty to stop such intimate behavior, but she didn't honestly care. It wasn't like she had wanted that sort of responsibility in the first place.

She found herself feeling more and more depressed as she headed back towards the clearing, but try as she might, she couldn't quite pin down why. It wasn't like she had really been looking forward to this trip all that much. She wondered briefly if she was just feeling lonely, but quickly rejected that hypothesis.

She was nearly back to the others when she heard someone approaching her from behind. Whirling around, she saw that it was one of her male classmates.

"Hello, Ririshii-san," she greeted him warily.

"Ah, it's you, Class Rep," he greeted her smoothly. "What are you doing out here all alone?"

"Just taking a walk," she answered. "I'm on my way back right now."

"Oh? Well there's no reason to rush back, is there?" he asked. "Since we're both out here, why don't we walk together for a bit?"

"No, that's ok," she said flatly.

"Now don't be like that," he replied as he took a step closer to her. "Besides, you never know what might be out here. There could be a bear or something prowling around."

She instinctively took a step back, maintaining the distance between them. She didn't really think he was dangerous, but according to Azumi he was a notorious playboy.

"You shouldn't be so shy, Sumiko-chan," he told her. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

"I'd prefer you not be so formal with me," she retorted, starting to get irritated. "I'm going back now."

She was turning to head back when she felt him snatch at her wrist.

"Get away from me," she snapped, whipping back around.

"Come on," he insisted. "I know your type. You act so cold all the time, but you really just want to cut loose once in a while, right?" He smiled and extended his hand to her. "Why don't we just have a little fun?" His smile turned into a sly smirk. "If you're worried about your reputation, no one's going to see us way out here. No one has to know anything."

"I'm not in the least bit interested," she bit out, backing slowly away. "Now leave me alone."

"You're seriously rejecting me?" he replied, sounding surprised. "Why? What is your problem?"

"What is _your_ problem?" she growled. "I already told you that I'm not interested. And if you don't back off right now, I'm going to report you for harassment."

"God, you're acting like a total bitch," he replied angrily. "I guess the rumors are right after all. You must not be into guys at all." He smirked once again. "I'll bet you've got the hots for that idiot alien girl, right? Or maybe it's that little spooky freak girl."

The sound of her slap rang out clearly across the quiet forest. Ririshii staggered back a step, his fingers pressed gingerly against the painful hand shaped red mark marring the side of his face.

"Damn it," he cursed as he watched her stalk away. "What the hell is her hand made of?"

* * *

Keiko opened her eyes lazily as she heard the cabin door creak open. Realizing in the dim light that it was just Sumiko returning, she smiled and prepared to go back to sleep.

A soft sniffle prompted her to reconsider.

"What's wrong?" she asked, wearily raising her head from the pillow.

"Nothing," Sumiko replied as she sat down heavily on her own bunk and swiped quickly at her eyes.

"No, really," Keiko insisted, starting to get worried. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened." Sumiko shook her head and gingerly sprawled out across the bed. "I'm just feeling tired."

"You're battery isn't low, is it?" Keiko inquired worriedly. "It'd be a real problem if you went offline way out here."

Sumiko sighed. "No, my battery's fine. I just need to get a little rest."

"No, you're acting weird. Something happened," Keiko stated firmly. "Do I have to get Azumi-chan in here to weasel it out of you?"

"Just leave it alone," Sumiko snapped irritably. She glanced over at Keiko and lowered her voice. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Don't change the subject," Keiko protested. She stared at Sumiko for a moment, realizing the girl wasn't going to talk. "I guess I'm a bit better. I'm not as tired as I was, but my feet still hurt."

"I can't believe you went through all that just for a boy."

"It wasn't just for him. I'm also worried about my grades." Keiko frowned. "I know I'm kind of dumb, but it looks really bad when I'm not even doing well in P.E."

"We all know that you're just lazy," Sumiko scolded her. "That's your biggest problem in life."

"Hey, be kind. I'm hurt over here, remember."

Sumiko was quiet for a few moments. "Sorry," she finally replied.

"Hey, thanks for all the help today," Keiko said suddenly. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have gotten to walk with him at all."

"Well, it was your fault Saotome-san ended up in our group. If you hadn't shown up today, then I would have had to deal with him the whole time."

"So that was the only reason, huh?"

Sumiko smiled as she turned her face towards the wall. "Yep."

"If you say so," Keiko replied. She glanced down at her bandaged feet. "You don't think there's anyway my feet will magically be better by tomorrow, do you?"

"No way. Sakura-san said specifically to keep them bandaged up so they don't get worse. And as swollen as they looked earlier, I don't think we'd even be able to get your shoes back on."

"It's just going to be so embarrassing."

"I'm sure that guy's used to seeing injuries," Sumiko assured her. "He lives in a dojo, doesn't he?"

"I don't care. It's still embarrassing."

"If he really likes you, he won't care."

"I don't know if he likes me."

"Then why do you care what he thinks so much?"

Keiko giggled. "Because I really like him."

"I don't get it," Sumiko grumbled. She fell silent for a couple of minutes before speaking up again. "Hey, have you heard about any rumors going around about me?"

Keiko thought for a moment. "No, I don't think so."

"Really? You'd tell me if there were, right?"

"Yeah, I would. Plus you know Azumi-chan just blurts out every rumor she hears." Keiko sat up. "Why, did you hear something?"

Sumiko shook her head. "No, I was just wondering."

"Oh. I didn't think you cared about gossip anyways," Keiko continued as she lay back down.

"I don't." Sumiko replied.

"Are Azumi-chan and Kinuka-chan coming back soon?" Keiko groaned melodramatically. "You're giving me a headache."

Sumiko smiled. "I don't know. They were still out there listening to Kagamine-kun and his sister sing when I came in."

"So that's who it is singing out there," Keiko mused. "They've been going at it for a while. You'd think they'd be worn out by now."

"You'd think so."

"Is his sister pretty? I haven't seen her up close before."

"She looks just like he does," Sumiko giggled. "So yeah, she's kinda cute."

"He does kind of have a girlish face."

"Is that why you aren't interested in him?"

"No," Keiko drawled. "He's nice and all, but I don't know. Maybe he's not assertive enough."

"It's not like Saotome-san is all that assertive," Sumiko pointed out. "You said yourself that he won't make any moves. And you're the one who keeps asking him out."

"Yeah, but it's different. Kenma-kun's quiet and all, but you can tell he's got confidence in himself at least."

"If you say so."

Keiko shook her head. "It's hard to explain. Especially to you, since you're not interested in guys anyways."

Sumiko fell quiet.

"What?" Keiko asked after a minute. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No."

"Good," Keiko sighed.

"Do you think I'm weird?"

"Not really," Keiko replied. "Well, no, you are kind of weird, but not because of that."

"Gee, thanks."

The two fell quiet as the door suddenly creaked open.

"Ah, that's where you went," Azumi noted as she came in with Kinuka in tow.

Sumiko sat up on her bunk, nearly hitting her head. "Yeah, sorry I bailed on you guys," she apologized.

"I was getting worried," Azumi scolded as she plopped down on the edge of Keiko's bunk and turned her attention to the injured girl. "As for you, shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"How can I? I'm wide awake," Keiko complained. "Give me a break."

Kinuka looked at them for a moment before silently leaping up and grabbing hold of the bunk above Sumiko. Quickly scrambling up, she flipped around and peered quizzically down over the edge at the girl below her.

"Sorry," Sumiko apologized again.

"You left me alone with her," Kinuka said flatly.

"Hey!" Azumi objected. "I'm not bad company."

"She's just teasing you," Keiko assured her. "I think."

"Whatever," Azumi huffed as she stood up and grabbed her bag from the top bunk. "Anyways, since you're up, do you want to play a card game or something?"

"Strip poker?" Keiko asked as innocently as possible.

"First off, ew," Azumi replied. "Secondly, no, I don't like poker. Why don't we play Old Maid?"

"Strip Old Maid?"

"Regular Old Maid."

"Eh, you're no fun," Keiko grumped.

"And you're a pervert."

* * *

"It was a big mistake to sit up so late last night," Azumi mumbled as she tried to concentrate on the path ahead.

"It's Keiko-chan's fault," Sumiko replied. "Just because she couldn't sleep, she had to make sure we couldn't either."

Kinuka only yawned in agreement.

"Yeah, I know. But Sumiko-chan, you don't seem very tired," Azumi noted.

Sumiko shrugged. "I'll probably crash tonight," she lied. "But remember, today we're the lead group, so we have to set a good pace for the rest of the class.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Azumi cast a glance back at their other friend. "Well, at least Keiko-chan's tired too," she said with a hint of triumph.

"I don't know how she's tired. Don't forget how much she slept yesterday."

Azumi nodded. "Yeah, but it was a hard day for her." She shook her head. "Anyways, enough about her. Did you happen to see Ririshii-san this morning? He's got a big red handprint on his face, like someone smacked him a good one."

"I didn't notice," Sumiko replied coldly.

"I wonder who he was after this time," Azumi continued. "Maybe it was someone in another class. That guy is such a creep."

Sumiko didn't reply.

"Seriously, I heard he's already romanced and dumped a couple of girls this year. Both of them were from other classes though." Azumi grinned. "I've made sure all the girls in our class know exactly what kind of person he is."

"Do you have some kind of history or something?" Sumiko muttered.

"Eh? No, not really," Azumi replied. "I think I'm way too plain for him to ever be interested in me." She frowned as she continued. "But there was a girl who sat next to me last year that he seduced then dumped as soon as they went all the way. She told me all about how he operates."

"All the way?" Sumiko felt herself blushing. "They were doing that sort of thing in junior high?"

"Oh, so innocent," Azumi laughed. "It's not nearly as rare as you'd think."

* * *

Keiko was still staying close to Kenma, but unlike the hike up, this time she wasn't saying much. Morning had come way too early, and she was also regretting staying up half the night. She could only hope he didn't notice the dark shadows under her eyes. However that was the least of her worries.

She discreetly cast a glance back at her legs and the bulky bandages still wrapped around both of her feet. Thanks to Sakura's doctoring it looked like she had a major injury instead of just a few blisters.

"Are they bothering you much?" Kenma asked.

Keiko whipped her head around. "Oh no, I'm fine," she hurriedly replied. "I told you it wasn't serious."

He nodded glumly. "Still, I'm glad the teacher's letting you fly back down."

"Me too," Keiko agreed. She was silent for a moment before continuing. "I must seem kind of pathetic, huh?"

"No, not at all! You tried your best yesterday, didn't you?"

"I guess so."

I'm just sorry I pushed you so hard," he muttered.

"Don't worry, you didn't," she assured him. She fell quite for a moment. "This is kind of ridiculous though. I think I'll start trying to walk a bit everyday once my feet feel better."

"That probably would be a good idea,' Kenma agreed. "I always jog a few miles every night."

"You must be in really good shape," she commented. "I guess that's because of how much you train, right?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Gramp's pretty strict when it comes to that stuff. Heck, I heard he once made my father swim all the way from China back to Japan."

"Ok...That's not really true, is it?" Keiko asked.

"I doubt it," he said, sounding uncertain. "But you never know with them."

Keiko nodded. "Anyways, next time we go on a hike, I don't want to end up like this." She suddenly looked glum. "It sounded like everyone was having a lot of fun last night, but I missed it all."

Kenma suddenly looked guilty. "Sorry," he apologized. "But I don't think you really missed that much anyways."

"It sounded pretty lively out there to me," she pouted.

He shrugged. "I actually kind of got bored and went to my cabin early," he admitted.

Keiko shot him a glare. "How wasteful," she scolded him. "I would have been out there if Sakura-san hadn't made me stay in bed."

"Well, just try not to overdo it next time," he replied quietly. "You don't have to try and impress anyone."

She felt her face turning red. "I wasn't trying to impress you," she muttered as she turned away.

* * *

"Bus sighted!" Sumiko happily announced as they finally reached the end of the trail.

"I'm going to sleep the whole way back," Azumi groaned.

Kinuka nodded in agreement.

"Well, we've got to wait until everyone's here before we can start getting on," Sumiko reminded them. "Hey, Keiko-chan, how far back's the next group?"

"Just a little bit," Keiko replied as she flew a bit higher to get a better view.

"Good," Sumiko replied. She glanced around to see Azumi and Kinuka sitting down on the ground next to the bus. "Hey, didn't you guys say you were going to help me keep track of everyone?"

"Don't worry, we believe in you," Azumi murmured sleepily.

"Gee, thanks."

It was only a couple of minutes before the next group joined them.

"Everyone in my group's present and accounted for," Gosuke announced proudly as he led his classmates to the meeting spot.

Sumiko smiled. "Thank you, Udagawa-san."

"I believe Sakura Mamiya's group should be along shortly," he added.

"Ok, thanks."

He bowed slightly and quickly returned to Shino's side, leaving Sumiko wondering once again what their deal was.

The next group appeared to only have four people in it. Glancing back curiously at Kinuka, Sumiko caught the smaller girl's firm nod. That meant that Aizaka was definitely present. Kinuka had mentioned it took a good deal of effort for a spirit to stay visible, leading Sumiko to wonder now if the ghostly girl was tired as well.

"It figures that Watakushigi's group is late," Keiko complained after several minutes of waiting for the last group.

"Considering what happened yesterday, I really don't think you should be saying that," Sumiko pointed out.

But after another ten more minutes had passed with no sign of their remaining classmates, even Sumiko was starting to get worried.

"Do you want me to go look for them?" Keiko asked.

"No, we should all stay here," Sumiko answered firmly. There was no way she was going to risk letting her ditzy best friend end up lost. "Sensei's with them, so they'll definitely make it back soon."

"All the other buses are already leaving," Kagamine Len pointed out.

"That's fine," Sumiko replied, glancing back to make sure their bus driver wasn't about to take off as well. She turned her attention back to the trail just in time to see Ririshii Daisuke casually emerge from the wooded path. Her eyes immediately narrowed as she remembered the night before.

From his cold expression, it appeared he was remembering it as well. He purposely didn't look her way as he stalked past Sumiko and took up position leaning against the side of the bus.

After several more minutes passed and the rest of the class didn't appear, Sumiko's patience finally ran out.

"Hey, Ririshii-san," she called out, trying to keep her voice calm. "Where are Sensei and the others?"

Ririshii didn't even acknowledge that he had heard her as he continued to cast a bored gaze at the ground.

She irritably shook her head and turned away.

"Hey, show some respect. The class representative just asked you a question, didn't she?"

The entire class turned their attention back to Ririshii as Kenma stalked up to him. Even when Kenma was right in front of him, Ririshii didn't answer.

"Hey, what's your problem?" Kenma demanded as he reached out to tough his silent classmate on the shoulder.

Even though the punch that Ririshii threw was unexpected, Kenma still effortlessly dodged out of the way.

"Was that seriously supposed to hit me?"

Ririshii just glared at his bemused classmate for a moment. "Screw you," he spat as he stood up straight. "Leave me alone or I'll try harder next time."

"Uh huh," Kenma replied. "Just answer her question already."

Ririshii swung again, and once again missed entirely.

"Do you really want to do this?" Kenma asked as he loosened up his shoulders.

"Hey, Kenma-kun, no fighting!" Keiko scolded him from a safe distance overhead. "He's not worth it."

Sumiko was still debating if she should get involved when she heard a shout from behind her. Turning around, she saw the missing members of her class finally arriving. To her alarm the teacher and Shin were supporting Urashima Moé between them while Kobe and Hidemi followed them, both looking concerned.

"Someone give us a hand," Mako demanded, looking worn out. "Urashima-san sprained her ankle."

As several of their classmates rushed over to help, Kenma glanced back at Ririshii. "So you just ditched them? Man, you are some piece of work."

"I went on ahead before that happened," Ririshii growled back as he turned away.

Kenma merely shook his head and left his brooding classmate alone.

"It looks like we're running late yet again," Mako noted sourly as a couple of males students helped Moé onto the bus. "Mendou-san, is everyone here?"

"Yes, Sensei," Sumiko answered promptly.

Mako glanced around. "I don't see Aizaka-san," she announced. "Has anyone seen her?"

"There she is," Mamiya answered, shoving the suddenly visible girl forward.

"Oh, I didn't see you," Mako replied. "Thank the gods," she murmured. "After everything else that's gone wrong, I was afraid we'd lost someone."

"No, everyone's definitely here," Sumiko assured her again.

"Start loading up the bus then," Mako ordered. "And remember, if your parents ask why you're back yet, it's because the bus driver was late!"

"Hey!" the driver protested.

"Heh, I was just kidding," Mako laughed. "We'll blame it on traffic or something!"

As the students piled into the bus and took their seats, Sumiko kept a careful count just to double-check that no one was left behind.

"Everyone's on board now, Sensei" Sumiko reported as the last of the students boarded the bus.

"Thanks, Mendou-san," Mako sighed. "You've really been a big help."

"Not really," Sumiko murmured as she followed the teacher inside.

"Scoot over, Yoshito-san," Mako ordered the boy as she sank down in her seat. "I'm feeling hot and I don't want you crowding me."

"Hey, I was helping too," he protested.

"Yeah, but you're a guy, aren't you?" she retorted as she wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Let's get going," she told the driver. "I just want to get back to Tomobiki already."

"I guess this trip didn't turn out too great," Keiko whispered as Sumiko sat down next to her.

"I guess not," Sumiko agreed. She glanced back at where Azumi and Kinuka were already asleep. "They passed out quick." Looking around the bus, quite a few of their classmates looked to be dozing off.

"I'm not going to be far behind them," Keiko announced with a yawn.

"I think I'm going to rest a bit as well," Sumiko decided.


	12. A Fateful Sighting

"Ah, I wish Friday would hurry up and get here," Sumiko griped as she changed her shoes. "Summer break can't come soon enough if you ask me."

"Not me," Keiko chimed in as she swept past. "Later you guys, I'm going walking with Kenma-kun!"

"Bye," Sumiko called out. "At least she's finally getting some exercise," she softly grumbled.

"I like school," Kinuka replied as she waited patiently for Sumiko to finish.

"Well, I don't exactly hate it," Sumiko admitted as she snatched up her bag and headed towards the door. "I just have a few projects I'd like to work on." She frowned. "We should definitely plan on meeting up some this summer though. I'll miss you guys."

"I'll have to ask," Kinuka replied. She blinked as they stepped outside into the bright afternoon light. "Are you going on any trips?"

"I'm sure I'll go somewhere with my family," Sumiko sighed. "I always get kind of bored at those fancy resorts though."

Kinuka suddenly stiffened and glanced around with a quizzical expression on her face. "What was that?"

Sumiko glanced up. "What was what?"

The white-haired girl shook her head irritably. "I'll see you tomorrow," she promised as she took off running towards the front gate.

As Kinuka ran, she wondered what was causing the uneasy feeling in the back of her mind. It felt like there was a familiar presence somewhere nearby.

Kinuka made it out to the street just in time to see a red-clad teenage boy go bounding down the street and disappear around the corner. She skidded to an abrupt stop, startled by his appearance. As he had passed, she had gotten a good look at his long silvery-white hair. Years of being teased for her hair color had made her very aware of how unique it was. Even in her family it was unheard of.

The decision to follow him was an easy one. She had to know who he was. Kinuka immediately took off down the street in the direction he had gone, hoping that she would be able to catch up. She sped around the corner where she had last seen him, but he already was nowhere in sight.

She kept running, looking frantically in every alleyway and side street for him. No matter how fast he was, he couldn't have just disappeared that quickly.

She finally slowed to a stop, realizing that she would never find him this way. She had been able to clearly sense him a few minutes ago. Perhaps if she tried she would be able to do so again.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. After a moment she was able to feel his presence again, only it was much weaker this time. He had to be fairly far away by now. However now she knew which direction he was going.

For nearly an hour Kinuka carefully chased after him. Before long she had left the familiar streets of Tomobiki, but she kept going. At this point she was determined not to lose him no matter how far he ran.

The boy was certainly fast; even with knowing which way to go she never even caught another glimpse of him. However she could sense that she wasn't falling any further behind now. It seemed like he wasn't moving in a straight line, but was instead taking a complex path across the city.

At last it felt like she was getting steadily closer. Though she was getting tired from running so long, Kinuka forced herself to quicken her pace even more. There was no telling when he might start moving again.

When she finally came to a stop, to her surprise she was in front of a Shinto shrine that looked much like her own. A small sign at the base of the stairs announced that she had arrived at the Higurashi Shrine. The name wasn't familiar, but then again she couldn't remember having visited this neighborhood before.

At this range Kinuka could sense the boy's presence very strongly. There was no doubt in her mind that he was somewhere within. She started up the stairs slowly, worrying what she was going to say when she met him. It would be sound weird to say she had followed him just because they had the same color hair.

Just as she reached the top, she heard a pair of voices raised in anger, followed by the sound of a door being slammed shut. It sounded like this wasn't a good time to confront the boy.

The voices suddenly got louder. Kinuka's usual timidity took over as she quickly ducked behind a tree before anyone could see her. Peeking out cautiously from her hiding place, she spied the white-haired boy stomp around the side of the house, followed closely by an angry looking teenage girl in a sailor uniform.

Kinuka held back a gasp as she finally got a better look at the boy. Not only was his hair the same shade as hers, he also shared her golden eyes. He also was wearing a very old fashioned set of robes. But that wasn't what surprised her. It was the very distinctive triangular ears rising from the top of his head.

"Well, come on then," the girl shouted at him as she shifted the large backpack she was carrying. "I thought you were in such a big hurry to get back!"

"Yeah, yeah," the boy muttered gruffly as he looked around. "Don' rush me." He suddenly stopped in his tracks, causing the girl to bump into him.

"Watch it!" the girl snapped as she stumbled backwards a step.

Kinuka drew back as the boy stared directly at where she was hiding. The last of her courage had fled at the sight of those inhuman ears, and she prayed hard that he wouldn't notice her.

He sniffed suspiciously once or twice before turning away with a shrug. "I just had a feeling that someone was watching us," he explained.

"I'm sure it was probably just Buyo," the girl retorted. "I already told you that it isn't like the feudal era here. There aren't demons lurking everywhere."

"Feh. You don't know that," the boy growled.

Kinuka decided to remain well out of sight. These people were definitely strange, and both of them appeared to be in a bad mood.

However her curiosity got the better of her when she heard another door sliding open. Kinuka peered around the tree just in time to see the two disappearing into a small shrine building. The door was quickly slid closed behind them with a loud bang.

After a long moment there was complete silence. Kinuka stepped out cautiously, looking puzzled. The boy's presence had suddenly disappeared entirely.

For several minutes Kinuka waited, but the shrine was quiet now, and she remained unable to sense anyone nearby. She wondered if she should take the opportunity to flee, but something drew her feet towards the small building instead. Finally building up her courage, she stepped up to the door and carefully slid the door open just a bit.

The building was totally dark inside, and she couldn't sense any movement from within. Mystified, she slid the door open all the way, dimly illuminating the interior.

There was no other exit, but somehow the two who had entered were gone. Kinuka stepped inside and spied an ancient looking well in the center of the room. She nervously approached it and peeked over the edge. It was very dark, but it was clear that no one was in there either.

Shivering, Kinuka started to back away. Something was very wrong here. People didn't just disappear out of the blue like that. After a few steps she turned and fled, eager to put as much distance between her and the Higurashi shrine as possible.

* * *

Kinuka sprinted across the courtyard of her own family's shrine at top speed, nearly running into her father as he toured the grounds.

"Don't make such a ruckus," her father scolded as he caught her arm. "You'll upset our visitors."

Kinuka shook her head as she tried to catch her breath. "I'm sorry, Father," she panted, "I just saw something very strange."

"That's no excuse for rudeness," he replied coldly as he glanced around to make sure no one was nearby. "People don't come to our shrine to see bratty children running around." He scowled and released her. "Now what did you see?"

She shrank away at the irritation in his voice. "Well, I-I was leaving school, " she stuttered nervously, "and I saw this strange boy go running down the street."

"You know, I really don't have time to hear about some idiot boy," her father interrupted. "I've got a lot of work to do around here."

"But his hair and eyes looked just like mine!" she blurted out.

Her father's eyes narrowed as he gave her his full attention. "Go on."

"That's not all," she continued hesitantly. "I swear that he had pointy dog ears too."

He looked incredulous for a moment, but his expression quickly hardened again. "You must have imagined it," he replied.

"I didn't!" she protested. "I know what I saw."

"Lower your voice, young lady," her father told her. "Now you listen to me. I don't want to hear any more foolish talk from you."

She looked down and clenched her fists, holding back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "I really did see him," she insisted. "I followed him to this shrine way across town." She paused for a moment, wondering if she should keep going. "That was the weirdest part. He met up with this girl, and then they both just disappeared."

Her father's eyes widened. "They didn't see you, did they?" he demanded angrily.

She bit her lip. It had been a mistake to tell him after all.

"Did they?" he repeated.

"Hey!"

Kinuka glanced up at the reassuring sound of her grandfather's voice.

The elderly man crossed the distance from the house to where they were standing with a swiftness that belied his age, his unused cane clutched tightly in his fist. "Leave her the hell alone," he spat. "Why do you always have to be so gruff?"

"Do you know what she just told me?" her father demanded.

"Yeah, I heard," the old man retorted angrily. "And it's not really any of your business. Why don't you go somewhere else for a while?"

For a long moment her father didn't back down. Finally he was forced to look away from the old man's furious gaze.

"Fine," he replied frigidly. "You're right, this isn't really my concern. If you'll excuse me, I need to make sure the visitors are doing ok. Someone has to keep a roof over your ungrateful heads."

The old man glared after her father until he was out of sight. "I never have figured out what your mother sees in that man," he muttered.

Kinuka didn't reply as she wiped furiously at the tears starting to stream down her cheeks.

"Are you ok?" he asked gently.

She nodded, sniffling a bit as she continued to dab at her eyes.

"Come on inside," he told her. "First we'll get you cleaned up, then we need to have a bit of a talk."

* * *

"So you saw a boy with dog ears, huh?" her grandfather mused. "Well, her birthday did come just a little while ago. It's hard to believe that she's already fifteen though."

"Who is, Grandfather?" Kinuka asked quietly.

He looked distinctly uncomfortable. "There's a few things you need to know before I tell you about her." he sighed. "I probably should have already told you all this. I suppose the years just got away from me again."

"Tell me about what?" she prodded him.

"Do you remember the legend of the Shikon no Tama?" he asked.

Kinuka gave him a confused look, wondering where he was going with this. "The Jewel of Four Souls? Sure. We have a whole box of them out in the storehouse," she pointed out.

He smiled. "Those trinkets are just cheap glass beads. But once upon a time there was a real Shikon no Tama, and it stirred up trouble all over this land."

"But a powerful miko came and made it disappear forever, right?" Kinuka responded. "I remember the story."

"Well, there's a lot more to the story than that," he continued. "The miko had several companions who fought along side her. With their help she was able to both defeat a great evil and purify the jewel once and for all."

"I don't remember hearing that part," she admitted.

"Much has been purposely left out of the legend," he replied. "One of the things that has been kept a secret all these years is exactly who that miko was."

She looked up as she noticed sudden sadness in his voice. "What's wrong, Grandfather?"

He didn't answer for a moment. "Her name was Higurashi Kagome," he finally stated quietly.

"Higurashi was the name of that shrine I was at earlier," she recalled. "Was it named after her?"

"No," he chuckled. "The Higurashi family that lives there arrived in this area much later."

"Then I don't understand where this story is going," Kinuka admitted.

"Sorry," her grandfather apologized. "I'll stop beating around the bush. The girl you saw earlier today was Kagome, the very miko that purified the Shikon no Tama. And that silver-haired boy was one of her companions, a half demon named InuYasha."

"Huh? Be serious, grandfather," she protested.

"You said that they both just disappeared, right? I'll bet they went into a well house and didn't come out."

"How did you know?" she demanded.

"Because the dry well inside is a portal to another time, almost five hundred years ago," he continued. "For a while it allowed both Kagome and Inuyasha to travel back and forth between the present and the warring states era."

"I thought you were going to being serious," Kinuka reminded him.

"I am being serious," he replied indignantly. "But it's up to you whether you want to believe me."

"It's rather hard to," she admitted, thrown off balance by his earnest tone.

"Perhaps some evidence will help," he replied as he left his chair. "Wait here a moment."

She waited patiently until her grandfather returned with an old battered wooden box under his arm. He carefully set it down on the floor next to her and undid the brass clasps that held it shut.

"Does these look familiar?" he asked as he pulled out a brilliant red jacket, followed by matching pants and sash.

"These are the same kind of clothes as that boy was wearing earlier..." she realized.

"This robe was woven from the fur of the legendary fire-rat," her grandfather explained. "To my knowledge this is the only one like it in the world." He handed her the jacket. "These are the same as the ones you saw earlier, just five hundred years older."

Kinuka gently caressed the soft fabric in her hands. "It's pretty and all, but you're not helping your story. There's no way this is five hundred years old. It looks brand new."

"It's actually closer to eight or nine hundred years old," he commented offhand. "The legends say that InuYasha's father obtained them at some point in his travels to China." The old man grinned. "His father was a demon lord widely called the Inu no Taisho. Does that sound familiar?"

"You're really reaching now," Grandfather," Kinuka retorted.

"Am I?" He patted her on the head. "Kinuka, the reason for your hair and eyes is that you're a direct descendant of that boy." He quickly anticipated her next question. "After the first couple of generations, the demon blood was thinned out enough that his descendents appeared no different from ordinary humans. But for whatever reason that blood is strong in you. I believe that is why you have such a strong awareness of spirits as well."

"He's telling the truth, honey."

Kinuka glanced up to find her mother standing in the doorway. "Mother?"

"I know it's all a bit shocking," her mother continued calmly, "But please believe him."

"It's ok if you need some time to take this all in," her grandfather said as he carefully stood up. "But even if you don't believe me, I must ask that you promise me that you'll stay away from Kagome and InuYasha."

"Huh? Why?" Kinuka demanded.

"Seeing you would only confuse them," he explained in a firm tone. "They must fulfill their destiny without any interference."

She fixed her gaze on the floor, not really listening. "I still don't know if I can believe all this. You're honestly telling me that I'm part demon? How's that supposed to make me feel?"

"Sorry," he sighed. "I really should have told you before now."

Picking up his nearby cane, he nodded towards her mother and stepped out of the room. After giving Kinuka an apologetic smile, her mother followed.

"Shouldn't you go ahead and tell her everything?" her mother demanded as soon as they were out of earshot.

"I don't know," the old man sighed. "I think the rest can wait for another day. This is already a lot for her."

"It won't change how she thinks of you," her mother assured him. "I know that's what you're worried about."

"I don't know about that," he muttered. "Anyways, can you believe that Kagome's already fifteen?"

"Did you really lose track?" she asked. "Haven't you been waiting for this?"

"Yeah, sort of," he confirmed. "But it'll still be almost four more years before I can go there."

"I'm surprised you aren't going to go have a look at them for yourself," she noted.

"I wouldn't dare," he admitted. "His nose is too keen. And he wasn't the type to wait for an explanation either."

* * *

"Today's the last day of the term, exams are already over and done, and yet here you are still studying," Sumiko noted with amusement. "I didn't know you were that dedicated."

Kinuka glanced up from the book she had just borrowed from the library. "I'm not studying," she replied hesitantly. "Just reading."

"Ah, sorry. Is that a history book?" Sumiko asked as she peered over the shorter girl's shoulder.

"Yeah,"

"I didn't know you were interested in that stuff. I've always found it kind of boring."

"I recently became interested," Kinuka replied. She frowned. "You're smart. Is time travel possible?"

"Hm?" Sumiko thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. It's not something we've done research into."

"Hah. I know something you don't," Keiko gloated as she joined Sumiko next to Kinuka's desk. "Yeah, it's possible. My mom told me that she used to have a little doohickey that could do it."

"Really?" Sumiko demanded, her interest suddenly piqued. "Is that oni technology? How did it work?"

Keiko shrugged. "I dunno. Something to do with subspace, I guess."

"Does she still have it?"

"I don't' think so."

"Oh," Sumiko shook her head. "That would have been interesting to see."

"So it is possible," Kinuka mused.

"Apparently so," Sumiko replied irritably. "Ugh, I'd love to just spend one week on Oniboshi."

"I'd invite you if I could," Keiko sighed.

"Stupid Trade Alliance," Sumiko grumbled as she returned to her seat.

Keiko shrugged apologetically and turned her attention back to Kinuka. "How come you're asking about time travel?"

"No reason."

Keiko didn't find that answer very convincing, but she decided to just let it go. Kinuka was well known for being a person of few words. "Ok, whatever then." She smiled and playfully tousled the girl's silvery hair. "I'm going to miss you if we don't get to hang out this summer."

Kinuka merely glared at her for a moment before hastily smoothing down her mussed hair. "I'll miss Sumiko-chan."

"That's so mean!" Keiko replied, pretending to be offended. "Haven't we been friends since elementary school?"

"I suppose," Kinuka sighed.

"I'm going to see if we can wrangle a beach trip out of my parents sometime this summer. If I can, then you're going. No buts about it."

"Let me know the details and I'll ask."

"It'll be sometime after our trip to Oniboshi," Keiko said thoughtfully. "Just don't make any plans for the last half of the break, ok?"

"That's unreasonable," Kinuka noted irritably. "But I won't have any plans anyway."

Keiko nodded. "It's a promise then," she said as she headed back towards her seat.

* * *

A timid knock on the door caught Sakura's attention as she finished tidying up her small office. "Come in," she called out, wondering who had gotten hurt this late in the day.

Kinuka opened the door and hesitantly stepped forward into the room, carefully closing the door behind her.

"Oh, hello there," Sakura greeted her. "You're Sumiko-chan's friend, right?"

Kinuka nodded.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling ill?" Sakura asked more gently, noticing how nervous the girl appeared to be.

"No, Sensei," Kinuka answered quietly. "I was just wondering if I could ask you something."

Sakura stared blankly at her for a moment before pointing to a nearby chair. "Sure," she agreed as she settled down in her own chair.

Kinuka sat down quickly and kept her gaze fixed on the floor, trying to gather up her courage. "You're a priestess."

Sakura noticeably flinched. "Yes, that's right," she replied calmly.

"You can sense the presence of demons and such, can't you?"

"Most of the time, yes," Sakura cautiously answered.

"Do you sense anything unusual about me?" Kinuka asked.

Sakura didn't reply immediately. She could see without even trying that the girl's emotions were highly tumultuous right now. Lying wouldn't be the best course of action, but she knew that she needed to be careful with her answer.

"The old man sensed something, didn't he?"

"My uncle is rather eccentric at times," Sakura noted. "But yes, we both sensed something.... special about you. But it's not anything bad. You just have a very... strong spiritual presence."

"Like a demon."

"Somewhat," Sakura confirmed. She might as well come out and say it; the girl already seemed to know. "If I had to guess, I would say that you are not completely human."

"I see," Kinuka replied, her voice betraying no hint of emotion.

"But that's not a bad thing," Sakura hastily assured her. "Your classmate Keiko-chan isn't completely human either."

After a moment Kinuka nodded slightly. "I know," she replied. "And Sumiko-chan isn't human at all."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Did she tell you that?"

"No. But I don't sense anything from her. If I close my eyes, it's like she's not there. A few of my classmates are like that."

"I see...." Sakura shook her head. "Well, that's certainly not something that you should go around telling people."

"You're the only one," Kinuka replied. "And you already knew." She stood up abruptly and bowed stiffly. "Thank you for answering my question."

"You're welcome," Sakura said quickly as the girl reached for the door. "If you ever need to talk about anything, just let me know."

"Thank you, Sensei," Kinuka replied as she slipped out of the room.


	13. Search Everywhere! Ryoko's Big Festival

A huge stage towered over one of the expansive front lawns of the Mendou estate. Over the last few days, an army of black clad laborers had worked tirelessly to erect the mammoth structure, ignoring all inquiries into its purpose. Even Shutaro Mendou had been unable to get an answer as to what exactly was going on in his front yard. The only thing that he could be certain of was that Ryoko was planning something.

Early that morning the stage had finally been completed. Immediately afterwards black clad messengers had descended upon Tomobiki en masse, each messenger having been charged with the critical mission of delivering an envelope to someone in town.

Shutaro's invitation arrived while he was still in the middle of breakfast. Raising a single eyebrow, he calmly accepted the envelope from one of the perpetually masked kuroko that his sister employed.

"What's this?" Sayomi asked, peering curiously over her husband's shoulder.

With a sigh he carefully opened the sealed envelope, idly hoping that it wouldn't explode in his face. Even though the envelope only contained a single card, he didn't find himself feeling any less stressed.

"Congratulations! You and your family have been selected to attend a private fireworks festival at the Mendou Family estate this evening." Shutaro glanced across the table at where his sister was calmly eating her breakfast. "What's this about?"

After a moment passed without any indication that his sister had heard him, Shutaro turned his attention back to the card. "If you plan to attend, please arrive at the front gate by 20:00. Dress should be casual..." He trailed off as his mind involuntarily began replaying a few of Ryoko's previous events.

Sayomi frowned. "You should have let me know you were having a party tonight. I need to make sure we have enough security staff available."

Ryoko shook her head. "Don't worry, my servants will handle everything."

"Well, that's a nice gesture, but I'd still appreciate it if you could coordinate this with our security forces," Sayomi insisted. "We don't have big events here very often, you know. I want to make sure everything's covered."

"I'm having all the relevant details delivered to your security chief as we speak," Ryoko replied. "You should just try to relax and enjoy tonight's show. You might not throw many parties, but this certainly isn't the first time I've done this sort of thing."

"No, it's not," Shutaro agreed. "So what's the catch this time? Are the fireworks really mortar shells? Or heat seeking missiles?"

"Why, big brother, I don't know what you're accusing me of," Ryoko protested. "I just thought it would be a lot of fun for everyone to watch some fireworks with us."

"Right…. I think we both know that your parties are never fun for anyone but you," he retorted. "That's just how you are."

Ryoko looked taken aback. "That's not true...," she murmured, tears starting to form in her eyes. "I just wanted to do something enjoyable."

"Uh huh," he replied. "Listen, this estate is half yours, so I can't forbid you from doing whatever you want. But I can tell you right now that I'm not getting involved."

"You mean you won't come?" Ryoko asked, her chin trembling. "But I really wanted you to be there."

"Now Shutaro, don't you think you're being a bit too harsh?" Sayomi demanded.

"I want to see the fireworks," Sumiko spoke up.

"No way," her father replied firmly. "I don't want either of you anywhere near whatever's going to happen tonight."

"Stop being such a spoilsport," Sayomi chided him. "Besides, when's the last time you took me to a party? It's been a couple of years at least, right? We're barely ever both home at the same time."

"That's not the point!" he argued. "This isn't going to be a normal party. It's going to be something terrible."

"Oh, you're so cruel, big brother!" Ryoko exclaimed as she rushed from the room.

"Now look what you did," Sayomi scolded him. "I think you really upset her this time."

"I sincerely doubt it," he grumbled as he turned his attention back to his breakfast.

* * *

The anxious crowd fell silent as the lights steadily dimmed, until finally only starlight remained to illuminate the lawn. After a few moments a spotlight snapped on, brightly illuminating a single person standing on the grand stage.

"Welcome, everyone, to the First Annual Mendou Family Fireworks Festival!" Ryoko cheerfully greeted her audience. "First off, I would like to thank you all for your presence this evening. As you might know, I've been away from the country for quite some time. I must say it really is nice to finally return home again."

Ryoko smiled charmingly, her eyes flashing as she continued. "Now I know that many of you have attended our family gatherings in the past, and so you might be worried that something unreasonable will be expected of you tonight. Let me just assure you right now that this will not be the case."

"I can't believe you made me come out here," Shutaro irritably whispered to his wife. "And where did Sumiko take off to? I haven't seen her since all this started."

"I don't know. I'm sure she's off with Keiko-chan somewhere. And stop acting so suspicious of Ryoko," Sayomi retorted. "She seemed really upset this morning."

"You've never attended one of her parties before, have you?"

"No, but I watched a couple of them from orbit," she replied. "It looked like everyone was having fun."

He just shook his head. "You'll see."

"I guarantee you that we'll be putting on the most extravagant display of fireworks that you've ever seen," Ryoko announced. "I've personally gathered top experts from around the world to make sure of that."

There was a tremendous round of applause and cheering from the more unsuspecting members of the audience as she bowed her head modestly.

"But I'm sure you would all agree that a simple fireworks show would be just a tiny bit boring, right?"

"And here we go," Shutaro muttered.

"That's why I've also decided to provide you all with a bit of a challenge before the big show. Don't worry, as I said, it won't be anything unreasonable."

Ryoko waited a moment for the uneasy murmurs to die down.

"For your entertainment, I have set up a truly grand scavenger hunt," she continued. "The rules are very simple. In a moment we'll be separating you all into small groups. Each group will receive a unique list of items to find. You will have three hours, and the items could be anywhere within the boundaries of our estate. The only places off limit are the mansion and any secured facilities. The first group to get everything on the list wins."

"This is how it starts," Shutaro hissed. "She's probably set up death traps all over the estate."

Sayomi shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I would have noticed if she was doing anything like that." She sighed. "Still, she didn't mention anything about this to security. I'd better let them know what's going on."

"She's sneaky," Shutaro grumbled.

As Ryoko raised her arm, her kuroko began to emerge from the darkness and shuffle into the crowd. "My servants will now guide you to your groups. If everyone could just follow their directions, we'll be ready to start very soon."

Shutaro shook his head at the kuroko who sought them out. "Sorry, but we won't be playing," he informed the black clad figure.

"Oh, don't listen to him," Sayomi said as she ended her call with the security chief and quickly snagged her husband's arm. "This sounds like fun." Despite Shutaro's repeated protests, she proceeded to unceremoniously drag him along as she followed the silent kuroko across the lawn.

Their guide led them to a spot a bit away from the others. "Please wait here for the moment," he instructed them before he disappeared into the darkness.

"I'm going back inside," Shutaro announced the moment his arm was free.

"No, you're not," Sayomi sighed, grabbing onto him once again before he could get away. "You're going to at least try to have fun."

"Yeah, Mendou, don't be such a grouch."

Shutaro spun around to find a familiar face broadly grinning at him. "Please don't tell me that we're in the same group."

"That's what they told us," Lum confirmed cheerfully, hovering over her husband's shoulder.

"Come on, Mendou, old buddy," Ataru laughed. "It's been a long time since we had a crazy adventure together, right?"

"Not nearly long enough," Shutaro retorted. "I'm getting too old for this sort of thing."

Sayomi rapped him sharply on the side of the head. "Sorry, Shutaro's in a bit of a bad mood. He keeps worrying that something horrible is going to happen tonight."

"Oh, there's no doubt this is going to be a total disaster," Ataru agreed. "Ryoko-san's the one that planned everything, right?"

Shutaro nodded glumly. "Right."

"This is your first time at one of these parties, isn't it?" Lum asked Sayomi. "Don't worry; people don't usually get too badly hurt."

"Mendou usually gets the worst of it," Ataru chimed in.

"I think you're all being silly," Sayomi replied. "Ryoko's a responsible adult. I'm sure nothing bad is going to happen."

She wasn't particularly relieved by the amused looks on their faces.

* * *

"I kind of wish we were playing too," Sumiko noted as she looked over the master copy of the groups' item lists.

Keiko snorted. "Watching our parents bumble around trying to find this stuff should be a lot more fun."

"We'll see."

"We're just about to start," Ryoko announced as she popped backstage for a moment. "What do you two think?"

"I think this all looks pretty elaborate," replied Sumiko. "You're definitely going to have them running all over the estate. Is three hours really long enough?"

Ryoko nodded. "It'll have to be. If no one completes their list, then we'll just give the prize to whoever has the most items.

"What is the prize?" Keiko inquired.

Ryoko smiled demurely. "I'll be announcing that in just a moment. I'm making one of Big Brother's old tanks the prize. He's got a ton of them, after all."

Sumiko shook her head. "I think that's going too far. Father really loves those tanks."

"All the more reason for him to really try to win," Ryoko replied. "And besides, if another group wins, I'm sure they'll sell it back to him."

"He's going to be really mad," Sumiko insisted.

"He'll get over it," Ryoko replied dismissively. "Besides, his group's almost certain to win. They've got the best knowledge of the estate, and the Moroboshis have always been great at winning contests."

Keiko nodded. "If you know they're going to win, then what's the point of the contest?"

"Well, I don't know for sure. Besides, everyone's always so busy working, right?

I think they all need to take a break and have a little adventure here and there, don't you?"

"I agree that that it couldn't hurt for father to loosen up a bit," Sumiko grudgingly conceded. "He's been traveling so much lately."

"Exactly," Ryoko agreed happily. "So we'll make sure he remembers tonight for a long time."

Sumiko shook her head. "Still, I don't think..." She trailed off as Ryoko rushed back out on stage. "She's not listening at all," she groaned. "Father is going to kill me if he loses one of those tanks."

"Ok, now that everyone's in their group, it's time to announce what we're playing for!" Ryoko announced. "Whichever group either gathers all the items first or has the most at the end of the game wins a mint condition Leopard tank! It may seem like a useless prize, but I have a feeling it will be worth quite a bit to the right collector!"

Sumiko winced as she heard a furious yell from one of the participants. It wasn't hard to guess who it was.

"The tank has already been moved to a secure location to prevent any sore losers from ruining the game," Ryoko continued. "Servants, could you please hand out the item lists at this time?" She smiled and waved her hand as she headed backstage again. "Good luck everyone!"

"Ok," she said hurriedly as she rejoined the girls. "We should make ourselves scarce before Big Brother comes looking for us." Humming cheerfully, she quickly threw open a trap door in the stage floor and ushered them inside.

* * *

"Where'd she go?" Shutaro demanded. He glared around the empty stage where his sister should have been. "I swear, she's gone too far this time."

"Calm down," Sayomi chided him. "She's just having a bit of fun with you."

"Excuse me if I don't see the fun in this situation," Shutaro retorted irritably. "You know how much that tank means to me."

"Well then, we'll just have to make sure we win," Ataru laughed as he slapped Shutaro on the back.

Shutaro spun around, his anger quickly giving way to surprise. "You're going to help me?"

"Of course," Ataru replied stoically. "We're friends, right?" He shifted his eyes towards the sky. "Plus, you'll compensate us for our share of the prize, I'm sure."

"You greedy..." Shutaro sighed. "Fine, as long as I get my tank back."

"We'd better get started then," Lum reminded them as she held up the list. "All the other groups are already searching."

"Right," Shutaro agreed. He took the list and quickly scanned it. "Honey, can you hook up to the security system and start looking for these things?"

"Isn't that cheating?" Sayomi protested. "We ought to just look for this stuff like everyone else."

"Does it really matter?" he asked. "It's not exactly fair that one of my tanks is the prize, is it?"

She sighed. "Fine, just give me a second to get connected." She fell silent as she started to access the main servers.

"_Sorry, Mom, but I'm afraid I can't let you do that_," Sumiko informed her. "_No cheating allowed_."

"_So you're in on this too_?" Sayomi replied. "_You know your father is furious, right_?"

"_I know_," Sumiko sighed. "_But Aunt Ryoko said he wouldn't play seriously otherwise_."

"_That's probably true_," Sayomi admitted. "_But he's going to be insufferable if he doesn't win, so I'm just going to give him a bit of help_."

"_Please don't. _ _We both know I have no way to keep you out of the system, but can't you please just tell Father that we've locked you out? It won't be any fun at all if you do it this way_."

Sayomi pondered for a moment. "_Ok, fine, darling. I'll give you this one. But make sure you keep an eye on things for me_." She broke the connection and frowned. "Well, that's no good."

"What is it?" Shutaro demanded.

"It appears I can't access anything," she lied. "Ryoko must have done something to keep me out."

"I can't believe it," Shutaro grumped. "I told you this was going to be trouble, but you just wouldn't listen."

"Well, it's no big deal," she replied. "I was able to confirm our security systems are still up, even if I can't use them. We'll just have to do this the old fashioned way."

"Something seems fishy, doesn't it?" Lum whispered. "Who could have locked her out?"

"Shhh," Ataru whispered back. "The madder Mendou gets, the funnier this is going to be."

"Honestly, Darling," Lum scolded him.

"Well, what's the first item on the list?" Ataru asked cheerfully.

"A tennis ball," Shutaro sighed. "The tennis courts are half a mile away, so I'll just call for a car." He opened his phone and started dialing when he noticed that it had no signal.

"I guess we're going on foot," he growled as he shoved it back in his pocket. Setting off at a brisk pace, he glanced back at the others. "Come on, we need to hurry!"

"Right, right, just keep your shirt on," Ataru replied as they started after him.

* * *

"How are you holding up?" Shutaro asked over his shoulder.

"I'm ok," Sayomi replied as she struggled to keep up with him. "I might need to replace a couple of pistons after all this though."

"Don't overdo it," he told her seriously. "Let me know if you need to rest."

"I will. Hey, here comes Ataru!" Sayomi exclaimed as she slowed down.

"Great," Shutaro replied as he struggled to keep from dropping the items they had accumulated. "I knew splitting up was a good idea."

"Ok, I've got the bird egg, the oxygen pressure gauge from an F-15, and a D sized battery," Ataru announced proudly as he skidded to a stop in front of them, clutching the items close to his chest. "Lum should be along any moment with a can of orange soda."

"You guys didn't ruin one of my jets, did you?" Shutaro demanded.

"Actually, I just had Lum ignite the fuel tank, and we picked the gauge up out of the wreckage," Ataru replied.

"What? Do you know how much those cost?"

"Of course we didn't ruin it, you idiot," Ataru continued. "I've worked on space ships, remember? Do you really think I couldn't take apart a console without damaging it?"

"I wouldn't put it past you," Shutaro retorted.

"So we've got almost an hour left, and after Lum returns, only one item left to find," Sayomi stated loudly, hoping the two men weren't going to get into one of their famous shouting matches. "Does it seem like this is all a bit too easy to you two?"

"Too easy?" Shutaro asked. "Ryoko had every tennis ball removed from the courts except for one, and that one was stuck in the bottom of that broken down ball launching machine out behind the changing rooms. Then we had to trudge through almost a mile of jungle to find that old weather hutch with this stupid rain gauge in it." He shivered. "And I still can't believe I had to crawl through all those basement sublevels in that old abandoned museum just to find this dumb Betamax player."

"We had to really search for that battery too," Ataru agreed. "I finally found it in a broken flashlight in the garbage can in one of the security huts."

"I'm back!" Lum called out as she swooped down, an orange can held up triumphantly in her hand. "Can you believe that I had to go all the way out to that old amusement park to find a machine that still had this in stock?"

"Well, maybe it's not that easy," Sayomi admitted. "But at least we know whereabouts to start looking for this stuff. I just can't imagine that the other groups are doing anywhere near this well."

"Great going, honey!" Ataru greeted his wife. "We've just got that one last item left now." He stared over Sayomi's shoulder at the nearly completed list. "But where do we find something like that?"

"A 40 centimeter snowball," Shutaro grumbled. "In the middle of July."

"That doesn't sound easy," Lum noted.

"And the freezers are all off limits because they're in the mansion," Sayomi reminded them.

Shutaro thought for a couple of minutes before suddenly nodding. "I think I know where we can make one."

"Really? Where?" Ataru demanded.

Shutaro's expression grew dark. "The old South Pole Dome. We had several snow making machines set up there."

"Ah, I think I remember that place," Lum piped up. "We all visited there once before, right?"

"You are correct, Lum-san. That's where we used to keep Matsu-Chiyo," Shutaro replied.

"Who?" Ataru demanded.

"He was my Australopolar Octopus. Don't you remember how we had to get that map tattooed on his back?"

"Eh..." Ataru scratched the back of his neck. "We had a lot of crazy adventures back then..."

"Don't you remember that time we were searching for my grandfather's treasure? We ran all over the estate, and in the end it just turned out to be that sill mask he always wears. None of this is ringing a bell?"

"Not really," Ataru admitted. "I mean, you've always had a lot of octopuses, haven't you?"

"It tore off Shinobu-san's shirt," Lum said flatly.

"Ah!" Ataru exclaimed. "Yeah, I remember that."

"That figures," Lum murmured.

"Anyways, I'll bet we can get at least one of those snow making machines to work," Shutaro interrupted. "Let's get going. Luckily it's not too far from here."

* * *

"Jeez, Mendou, this is just ridiculous," Ataru grouched as they slowly made their way through the thick foliage. "Don't you have any gardeners?"

Shutaro shook his head. "Of course we do. It's just... after everything that happened, maintaining this area just wasn't a high priority." He sighed. "I'm embarrassed to say that there's quite a few areas of the estate that we never got around to cleaning up."

Ataru fell quite as they continued on.

"Hey, I see it!" Lum called out from overhead. "It's just a little bit further."

"Let's hurry," Shutaro ordered. "We'll lose for sure if we don't get back in time."

They continued on for several more minutes before they abruptly started noticing twisted rusting metal struts jutting out haphazardly from the scraggly pine forest around them.

"Well, we're in what used to be the dome now," Shutaro noted.

"Man, this place is trashed," Ataru quietly murmured.

"Yeah, I know," Shutaro replied. He pointed up, where through the thick trees they could barely make out part of the dome that was still intact. "That's where we should find one of the snow making machines."

"I wonder if we'll be able to make it work," Sayomi said nervously.

"We won't know until we try," Lum replied confidently.

After a couple more minutes they reached an area where the dome still reared overhead, though the trees had invaded it all the same.

"There it is," Shutaro spoke up, pointing to a cylindrical device half hidden in the bushes.

"Let's get it out of there," Lum said as she rejoined them on the ground.

After a couple of tries Ataru and Shutaro finally managed to wrestle the snow maker out into the open.

"It looks pretty rusty in there," Ataru said as he bent down to examine the fan. "But it's all still in one piece. We might be able to get it going again." He examined the battered hose that trailed from the bottom and pointed in the direction where it was coming from. "Could someone go see if the water's still running?"

"I'll go," Sayomi quickly volunteered. She set out following the hose through the forest and quickly disappeared from their sight.

With nothing to do for the moment, Shutaro leaned back against a tree and watched as Ataru and Lum quickly dismantled the machine's casing. They quickly knocked off the worst of the rust and started working on making it operational again.

"Well, luckily this thing isn't very complex," Ataru finally spoke up. "I think it'll probably work for at least a little while."

"Good," Shutaro replied as he nervously checked his watch. "Let's get it going."

"We've still not got any water," Lum noted. "I'd better go see if Sayomi-san needs any help with it."

"So," Ataru spoke up as they waited for their wives to return, "they zapped this place too?"

Shutaro remained silent for a moment. "Actually one of our jets that they shot down crashed into the dome. We lost quite a few pilots that night."

"Ah."

Several more minutes slowly ticked by as the two continued to wait.

Both men leapt to attention as a loud shriek rang out through the trees.

"That was Lum!" Ataru growled as he set off running with Shutaro in hot pursuit.

The two crashed through the bushes at top speed, unable to see anything in front of them. When Ataru suddenly skidded to a stop, Shutaro crashed into him at top speed, sending them both into a heap on the ground.

"Darling, do something about this thing!" Lum yelled irritably as she fruitlessly attempted to hold the torn remains of her blouse together.

"Yes, I'd appreciate some help as well!" Sayomi shouted as she struggled to keep her top from getting ripped

"I don't believe my eyes," Shutaro murmured as he got back to his feet. "Matsu-Chiyo! Is that really you?"

The huge red octopus holding both of the women high in the air ignored Shutaro as it continued its stubborn game of tug-of-war with his wife.

"I can't believe you're still alive after all this time," Shutaro continued. "We looked everywhere for you back then."

"Mendou, celebrate later! For now just call that thing off!" Ataru yelled as he barely dodged a blow from another tentacle.

Shutaro nodded. "Matsu-Chiyo, please put them down right now," he ordered as he advanced on his former pet.

Instead of obeying, the octopus deftly snatched him up by the waist and gave him a tight squeeze.

"Lum, why don't you just zap it like you did last time?" Ataru growled as he tried to free his leg from the creature's grasp.

"I don't know if it would hurt Sayomi-san," Lum replied irritably.

"Hey, Matsu-Chiyo, didn't you hear me?" Shutaro said, still trying to pacify the beast. "Do you not remember me anymore?"

The octopus trained one of its eyes on Shutaro and glared at him for a moment before squeezing him even tighter.

"Just do it, Lum-san!" Sayomi called out. "I'm not that easy to damage."

"Are you sure?" Lum asked worriedly.

"Wait!" Mendou interjected in between squeezes. "Look at his eyes!"

Both of the monster octopus's eyes were brimming with tears as it continued to stare at Shutaro. The other three were abruptly dropped as it wrapped several more tentacles around its old master.

"He recognizes me!" Shutaro exclaimed happily between shrieks of pain. "I knew he would!"

"Well isn't that just great," Ataru retorted as he dusted himself off. "Are you two ok?"

"I'm alright, Darling," Lum assured him as she landed next to him, her arms crossed securely over her chest. "But my top's completely ruined."

"Here, put on mine," Ataru told her as he shrugged off his shirt and handed it to her. "Hey, Mendou, make sure you don't peek!"

"I'm kind of occupied right now," Shutaro answered irritably.

"He wouldn't peek anyways," Sayomi stated calmly as she rejoined them. "Honey, can you occupy that thing for a few minutes while we get our snowball?"

"Sure thing," he gasped as the octopus gave him another affectionate squeeze.

* * *

"Here we are at the end of our scavenger hunt!" Ryoko announced to the crowd that had reformed around the stage. "Just one more minute left to go."

"We barely made it!" Shutaro panted as he carefully deposited the items he had been carrying one of the tables that had been set up nearby.

"Yeah, we sure did," Ataru agreed as he dumped more items on to the pile.

"You're still missing one item," the kuroko noted as he checked their list.

"It'll be here in a minute," Ataru assured him. "That stupid snowball would have melted if we had carried it back."

"I'm sorry, but if it doesn't arrive within 30 seconds, it won't count," the kuroko informed them apologetically.

"It's a good thing I'm a fast flyer then," Lum said cheerfully as she deposited the snowball carefully on the table. She frowned as she sat down heavily on the ground next to them.

"Great job, honey," Ataru congratulated her.

"So, did we win?" Sayomi demanded as she finally caught up to them.

"The results will be announced by Lady Ryoko momentarily," the kuroko informed them as he left to turn in their completed list.

"After all that trouble, we had better win," Shutaro grouched. "I wouldn't be surprised if she made our list the hardest."

"I don't know," Sayomi replied. "It doesn't look like most of the other groups have many items on their tables."

"Time's up!" Ryoko announced as she snatched up the microphone. "And our winners are... Hakuto Inaba-san and Shinobu-san!

"What?" Shutaro shouted.

Ryoko looked over at her visibly seething brother. "Their group was the first one to return here with all of the items on their list. That was a good try though, Big Brother!"

"I didn't even know they were here," Lum said cheerfully. "She hardly ever visits these days."

"Hey, how'd they win with only two people?" Ataru demanded as they watched the happy couple climb up on the stage.

"Inaba-san can open a doorway anywhere he wants," Sayomi sighed. "They must have zipped around the estate in a few minutes while we were doing it the hard way."

"That's not fair," Shutaro grumbled more quietly.

"Relax, Shutaro-san," Shinobu said, taking the microphone Ryoko offered her. "I'll give you back your precious tank... for a few million yen, of course. We aren't here all that often, but it'd be nice not to have to eat fast food every time we come for a visit."

Shutaro's face turned bright red as the crowd roared in laughter. Opening his mouth to deliver a scathing reply, he caught himself just in time. Even if this was completely unfair, it wasn't Shinobu's fault. There were no rules against what they had done, so it wasn't even cheating.

"That's very charitable of you," he told her, forcing himself to be polite. "Congratulations on your win. We'll work out payment after the party."

"That's very big of you, honey," Sayomi congratulated him as Ryoko continued speaking about the upcoming fireworks show.

"It's not that much money," he sighed. "As long as I get my Leopard back safe and sound, I'll be happy. And we did finally find poor Matsu-Chiyo after all these years."

"So, what do we get for all our hard work?" Ataru asked leadingly. "Surely a few extra days off wouldn't be too much to ask?"

"Don't push your luck," Shutaro replied. "But I'll think about it."

"Congratulations on getting second place!" Sumiko said brightly as she and Keiko rejoined their parents. "Did you all have fun?"

"It certainly was eventful, I guess," Shutaro sighed. "Where have you two been all this time?"

"We've been keeping an eye on everyone with Aunt Ryoko." she revealed. "She needed my help to control all the cameras."

"I didn't get to do anything," Keiko sighed. "But at least I got to see a bird chasing you, Daddy."

"Don't remind me," Ataru chuckled. "I don't even know why you keep ostriches here, Mendou."

"I think Ryoko's wrapping it up," Sayomi pointed out.

"So without further ado," Ryoko announced, "we shall now commence our grand fireworks show!"

The crowd fell silent as the first muted thumps sounded. All around them hundreds of shells began to rise quickly into the air. As fanciful patterns and colorful flowers began to fill the sky over Tomobiki, even Shutaro had to admit this wasn't such a bad festival.


	14. Mendou Family Flashback

_Tuesday, July 03, 1990_

* * *

"Momma, I'm bored!"

"I thought you were drawing pictures."

"I'm tired of that. Are we going home soon?"

"It'll be a couple more hours," Lum replied. "Sorry, sweetie, but I've still got a lot of work to do."

"Can I go play outside?"

Lum glanced up from her computer screen. "Do you promise to go straight outside and not to cause any trouble?"

"Yes!"

"All right. Just make sure you stay close."

"Okay!"

"I mean it," Lum insisted.

"Yes, Momma."

Lum couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as she watched her daughter scurry eagerly out of the room. She knew it had to be tedious just sitting around all day while she and Darling were working, but it couldn't be helped. Keiko's former babysitter, Shinobu, had just recently left Tomobiki, and they hadn't had any luck finding a good replacement.

Both she and Darling were wary of enrolling Keiko in daycare, especially now that her oni abilities had started to develop. Lum could only imagine what kind of trouble her daughter might cause if not properly supervised. She certainly didn't want to receive a call telling her Keiko had just zapped another child.

So their only other option had been to bring Keiko with them to work. Shutaro had been understanding, and had even been generous enough to have a small play area constructed beside the research and development building just for her. Still Lum couldn't help but feel a bit worried when her daughter went off to play by herself. Keiko had a perchance for doing things she wasn't supposed to do.

Keiko carefully pushed open the door, only to find yet another room full of boring machines. There were a few men working inside, but none of them noticed as she poked her head in and looked around. Unfortunately Daddy wasn't here either.

She bit her lip irritably as she let the door close. If she could just find Daddy, she knew he would play with her for at least a little while. She had learned the hard way not to pester Momma too much while she was working. But Daddy wouldn't mind.

Keiko pushed firmly on the next door she came to, but discovered that this one wouldn't open. Looking up, she spied a familiar little black panel mounted next to the door. Momma had once explained that doors with those required a special badge to unlock. There were quite a few doors like that throughout the building.

Keiko perked up at the sound of approaching footsteps. Taking quickly to the air, she hid herself in the top corner of the recessed doorway the best she could. Momma would be mad if she was caught wandering around the building by herself again.

"Hey, I'll be right back," she heard a male voice say. "I think I left some of my notes in the lab again."

She held her breath as a middle-aged researcher appeared right below her. In his hurry he didn't notice the green-haired girl pressed tightly against the ceiling as he swiped his badge and went inside the room. Just a moment later he reemerged, a thick notebook tucked securely under his arm.

As the researcher rushed off down the hall, Keiko saw her chance. Deciding that an opportunity to explore this room probably wouldn't present itself again anytime soon, she sprang from her hiding spot and swooped through the doorway. She just barely made it inside before the door shut behind her.

With a smug grin she quickly looked around the small lab. Her smile slowly faded as she failed to find anything even vaguely interesting in the room. There were several large computers along one wall and a few file cabinets; nothing that she hadn't seen hundreds of times before.

Disappointed, Keiko decided to resume searching for Daddy. She pulled on the door handle to leave, but to her surprise it didn't budge. After a couple more frantic but futile attempts, she happened to notice another little panel on the wall next to the door. She quickly realized that a badge was required to leave the room as well.

Her eyes grew wide as she glanced around the windowless room and spied no other means of escape. To make things worse, there wasn't even a phone she could use to call for help. Her only choice was to wait for someone to open the door. She grimaced as she realized she was going to get in trouble for sure now.

Trying not to dwell on the scolding she was sure to receive, Keiko started looking around the room more closely for anything that might help her escape. There was a fire alarm in the room, but Momma had warned her to not ever touch those unless there was really a fire. She decided to leave it alone; she was already going to be in enough trouble.

Finally her eyes alighted on a tangle of cables snaking out from behind the bank of computers down into a hole in the floor. Examining that area more carefully, she realized that the entire floor panel in that spot was removable. Hoping that she might have found a way out, she eagerly pulled on the side of the panel. With a clang it popped loose, revealing a shallow compartment underneath.

Peering inside, Keiko saw that the cables continued down a dark tunnel underneath the floor. The passageway wasn't very large, but it looked like it would be just big enough for her to squeeze through. She quickly dropped inside and started following the wires towards their destination.

After several minutes of blind crawling, Keiko noticed a bit of light shining from where the wires exited the tunnel up ahead. Pushing up with her head on the panel overhead, she cautiously emerged into a well-lit room.

Luckily the room was empty. Unluckily she had no idea where she was. This room didn't look like any of the ones she had visited before. It was mostly empty, with only a few computers and a large worktable in the center.

Keiko noticed that the various cables all seemed to lead to the table sitting in the middle of the room. Floating closer, she saw that the tabletop was crowded with a multitude of various electrical devices all linked together by a complex web of thin wires. She perched on the edge of the table and looked curiously at the apparent mess, being careful not to touch anything.

Just as she was about to head towards the door, she noticed something unusual. There was a heavily worn and dented old metal box sitting near the edge of the table. Unlike the pristine components scattered across the rest of the table, the battered wires coming out of this box didn't appear to be connected to anything else.

Her curiosity getting the best of her, Keiko tentatively reached out her hand and tapped her fingers on the top of the box.

"Hello?"

Startled, Keiko stumbled backwards, accidentally jerking loose one of the cables in her haste.

"Hey! What happened? I can't see!" a girl's voice cried out from nearby.

"Who's there?" Keiko demanded nervously as she got back to her feet.

"Mommy, are you there?" the voice continued, beginning to sound panicked. "I don't like this!"

"I'm the only one here," Keiko replied as she tried to figure out from where the voice was coming.

"Where's Mommy?" the girl asked more quietly. "It's dark. I don't like it when it's dark."

"I don't know," Keiko replied. "Who are you? Where are you?"

There was no answer.

"Are you there?"

"Yes…" the subdued response finally came.

Keiko looked puzzled as she narrowed down the device that the girl's voice was coming from. "Is this a phone?" she asked, prodding at the speaker. "Hey, where are you calling from?"

"Have you seen Mommy?" the girl asked again. "She said she'd be back soon."

"I don't know," Keiko repeated irritably.

"Can you go find her? She'll fix it so I can see again."

"Who is your mommy?"

"What do you mean?"

"What's her name?"

"…Mommy."

"That doesn't help," Keiko noted with a frown.

"Please hurry," the other girl insisted.

"Ok, ok, I'll go look," Keiko relented as she headed for the door. "Maybe my momma will know." She just hoped Momma wouldn't be too angry.

Reaching the door, she saw with relief that there was no badge reader on this side. "I'll be back soon!" she called back as she opened the door.

Darting out of the room, she immediately crashed into someone out in the hall.

"Keiko-chan?" Sayomi exclaimed. She kneeled down and helped Keiko back to her feet. "How in the world did you get in there?"

"I was looking for Daddy," Keiko answered nervously, certain she was about to be scolded.

"That doesn't really answer my question," Sayomi muttered. "I'm the only one who has access to this room." She peered worriedly past Keiko. "You didn't touch anything in there, did you?"

"No," Keiko promised. Her eyes suddenly widened. "Hey, there's a phone in there, and this girl keeps asking for her mommy. Do you know her? She sounds pretty upset."

Sayomi bit her lip and nodded. Without another word she rushed inside. In her hurry she didn't seem to notice Keiko trailing curiously after her.

"Is everything ok?" Sayomi demanded as she reached the table.

"Mommy?" the girl called out. "I can't see."

Sayomi's eyes darted immediately to the loose cable. "Is that better?" she asked as she pushed it firmly back in place.

"I can see again!" the girl replied happily. "Thank you, Mommy."

"You're her mommy?" Keiko asked.

Sayomi glanced down at her uninvited tagalong. "Yes, in a sense," she replied uneasily.

"How come I've never met her? Where is she hiding?"

"Keiko-chan, does your mother know where you are?

"Sort of."

"I'll tell you what," Sayomi said as she kneeled down to eye level with Keiko. "If you don't tell anyone about any of this, then I won't tell your mother that you were snooping around in my lab."

"Ok..." Keiko agreed hesitantly.

"This is really important," Sayomi insisted. "Do you promise not to tell anyone about her?"

"I promise," Keiko answered more quickly.

"Good girl," Sayomi said as she stood back up. "Now why don't you go play outside for a while?"

"Can she come play too?"

Sayomi stared wistfully back at the table. "No, not yet. Maybe in a few more weeks though."

"Oh," Keiko replied. "I hope she can play soon."

"I hope so too. What do you think, Sumiko?"

"I guess so," the girl responded, her tone uncertain.

Sayomi smiled. "Run along now," she told Keiko. "I've got a lot of work to do."

"Alright," Keiko replied as she sped towards the door.

After Keiko had left, Sayomi made a quick inspection of the table to make sure nothing else had been disturbed.

"Mommy, who was that?"

"That was Keiko-chan. She's a friend's daughter."

"Will she visit again?"

"Would you like her to?" Sayomi inquired as she turned her attention to a nearby monitor.

"I don't know," Sumiko replied.

"I guess you do need more practice socializing," Sayomi noted. "It's probably not healthy that I'm the only person you ever talk to." She thought for a moment. "I'll ask her if she'll come by and talk to you once in a while."

"Why doesn't Daddy ever visit me?"

Sayomi took a while to answer. "Well, I haven't actually told him about you yet."

"Why not?"

"It's kind of... complicated," she sighed. "In any case, I can't put it off much longer. The wedding's less than two months away, after all. But I'd just rather that he not see you like this."

"So after you tell him, I'll get to meet him?"

"I'm sure you will, honey."

* * *

"Hi!"

"Oh, hello..."

"What's wrong?" Keiko demanded as she settled down in a chair that had been left next to the table.

"Nothing," Sumiko replied, her voice sounding a bit muffled.

"You sound funny," Keiko insisted. "Hey, what happened to all that junk that was here?" The only items left on the formerly cluttered table were the old metal box and the device that Sumiko's voice was coming from.

"It's not junk," Sumiko retorted.

"Whatever," Keiko replied, deciding it didn't matter. "Can you come play today?"

"No."

"You always say that," Keiko grumped.

"Mommy says I have to learn to walk good first."

"Walk? What are you, a baby?" Keiko retorted.

"It's hard!" Sumiko snapped.

"I don't even need to walk," Keiko taunted as she effortlessly floated up into the air. "I can fly."

"Good for you."

Keiko frowned as she sat back down. "You're mean today.

"Walking is really hard." Sumiko fell quiet for a few minutes. "I wish I could fly."

"My daddy can't fly either," Keiko mused. "Only me and Momma can."

"How come?"

"We're just special."

"Oh."

"Hey, do you watch TV?"

"Sometimes."

"What's your favorite show?"

"Keroro Gunso," Sumiko answered immediately.

"Oh, I like that one too!" Keiko replied. "Who's your favorite?"

"Kululu. But I like Gunso too."

"Kululu's a big jerk. Gunso's funny though."

"He's not a jerk," Sumiko argued. "He's really smart."

"If you say so," Keiko replied dismissively.

"He is! I want to be that smart."

"Just don't be a jerk."

"..."

Keiko spent a few minutes idly swinging her legs back and forth. "It's really boring in here," she commented.

"I know," Sumiko agreed. "I wish I could go outside."

"Me too. Hurry up and learn to walk."

"It's not that easy."

"I didn't have much trouble," Keiko replied.

"Don't tease her, Keiko-chan," Sayomi gently scolded as she entered the room. "I know exactly how long it took you to learn how to walk. Your mother always kept everyone well informed of your progress."

"But I learned a long time ago! How old is Sumiko-chan?" Keiko asked.

"I guess she's about your age," Sayomi answered. "But she's having to learn a lot of things in a very short time. She's actually doing extremely well."

"Thank you, Mommy," Sumiko called out smugly.

* * *

"Well, I guess it's now or never," Sayomi whispered to herself as she stepped into her fiancé's office.

"Shutaro, could you come with me? There's something I want to show you."

He glanced up from the neat stacks of reports on his desk. "Can it wait until later? I'm kind of busy right now."

"It's important," Sayomi insisted. "Really important."

His resistance crumbled before her pleading expression and nervous tone. "Ok, but is it going to take long?"

"It might," she admitted as she grabbed his hand and tugged him to his feet.

"So what is it?" he asked as he followed her down the hall.

"You'll have to see for yourself."

"I know you've been putting in a lot of extra time on something," he mused. Honestly the amount of time she was spending working in her labs was a little worrying, but she had seemed so cheerful lately that he hadn't said anything. "Is whatever you've been working on what you want to show me?"

"Yes," was her only reply.

Shrugging, Shutaro followed her downstairs and out of the mansion to where a car was waiting. "We're going over to the R&D building, I presume?"

"Yep," Sayomi confirmed as she clamored in and patted the seat beside her. "Hurry up."

"I'm coming," he grumped.

"Are you even going to give me a hint about all this?" he asked as they rode.

"No," she replied. "But please, Shutaro, just promise me that you'll keep an open mind. No matter what."

"That's not exactly comforting," he started to joke, but his smile faded as he noticed how serious her expression was.

"Shutaro..."

"Ok, I promise," he told her. "I am starting to get a bit worried though."

When they arrived at the R&D facility, Sayomi didn't head inside, but instead diverted them onto a path running around the side of the building.

"This isn't anything sensitive that you're showing me?" he asked nervously as he followed her. "You know they're always watching up there."

"I know," she replied in a serious tone.

He heard a pair of children's voices as they neared the rear of the building. He remembered having had a small playground set up back there for Keiko-chan, though he had hadn't had the opportunity to see it.

"Did someone else bring in their kid today?" he wondered as they rounded the corner.

"Yeah," Sumiko answered softly.

The black suited retainer whose job was to watch the area bowed his head politely as the two passed.

"Have they been playing nicely?" Sayomi asked.

"Yes, ma'am," the guard replied.

She smiled as they came to a stop next to the playground. It wasn't much really, just a sandbox, a couple of swings and a big hollow dome with a slide on one side, but the two girls seemed to be enjoying it.

Shutaro looked puzzled as they silently watched Keiko play with a slightly shorter black-haired girl. It looked like the new girl was having a bit of trouble keeping up with the boisterous half-oni, but she was clearly trying her best. Despite her frequent stumbling and occasional fall, she seemed to be having a lot of fun.

"They're cute kids," he finally said as he glanced at his fiancée. He frowned as he noticed how entranced she seemed to be by the sight of the girls playing. "Are you ok?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes," she replied softly. Swallowing hard, she raised her hand and called out. "Sumiko, could you come here for a moment?"

"Ok, Mommy," the black-haired girl called out as she immediately headed over. Keiko settled down on top of the dome and watched curiously.

Shutaro's eyes widened upon hearing the girl's words. When the girl noticed who was standing next to her mother, her own eyes grew just as wide. In her haste to come over, she managed to trip and skidded to a halt right in front of them.

"Di...did she just call you 'Mommy'?" Shutaro stuttered as he watched the girl slowly pick herself up off the ground.

"Are you ok?" Sayomi asked with concern as she bent down and dusted off the girl's dress.

Suddenly shy, the girl nodded and ducked behind Sayomi's legs, only to peek around cautiously at Shutaro. Sayomi gently stepped aside and pushed the girl out in front of her. "Shutaro, dear, I'd like you to meet Sumiko."

"Sayomi," he said quietly as he looked into the girl's hauntingly familiar dark blue eyes. "Who is she?" The resemblance between his fiancée and the girl was unmistakable.

"I think you already know that," Sayomi replied as she affectionately smoothed down the child's silky hair. "You remember that old hard drive I saved from that satellite, right?"

"Seriously?" He squatted down to get a closer look at the girl. "This is Shu-chan?"

"Her name is Sumiko," Sayomi gently corrected him. "And no, she's not. She doesn't remember anything from back then. I think that her personality has changed a bit as well. At this point the only thing that she really shares with me is some core programming."

"This is amazing," he marveled. "You'd never even imagine that she isn't a real little girl." Too late he realized how that had sounded. "You know what I mean," he hastily added.

"Yes, I know," Sayomi replied, sounding slightly miffed. "So, are you going to greet her already?"

"Oh, uh, yes, of course." With a strained smile he nodded his head. "Hello there, Sumiko-chan. It's very nice to meet you."

Sumiko kept her eyes fixed on the ground. "H-hello," she replied. "Are you Daddy?"

Shutaro's eyes went even wider. "I uh..." He looked to Sayomi for help, but she was staring at him with the same expectant expression as the little girl.

"It's your decision," Sayomi murmured after a long moment of silence.

"Um..." Shutaro floundered for a moment. "Well..." He looked back into the girl's hopeful eyes, his thoughts in disarray as he considered what to tell her. Sayomi was purposely putting him on the spot here, but he could already tell how she felt about the girl. In the end there was only one answer he could give them.

"Yeah, that's right," he replied, his usual confident tone returning. "I'll be your daddy."

The girl's expression immediately brightened. Stepping closer, she held up her arms and said, "Up!"

Sayomi giggled at Shutaro's confused expression. "She wants you to hold her."

"Oh, ok," he replied as he reached out to pick her up. "How fragile is she?" he asked nervously.

"About as fragile as any other child," Sayomi replied. "Don't drop her."

"I'm not going to drop her," he retorted as he tried to pick her up. Her feet had barely cleared the ground before he had to lower her back down. "Ok, she's a lot heavier than she looks," he muttered as he gave her a brief awkward hug instead.

"I'm still working on that," Sayomi apologized.

Despite the aborted lift, Sumiko seemed satisfied. "I'm going to go play more." she happily announced as she scrabbled back towards the swings where Keiko was waiting patiently.

"How long?" he asked, his low voice sounding slightly irritable as they watched the children resume their antics.

"I've been working on her for the last couple of years," Sayomi admitted. "But she's only been fully conscious for about a month now."

"You should have said something."

"I know," Sayomi said with a frown, "but I didn't want you to see her until she was finished. Today's the first day she's been out of the lab."

"I mean this... this is pretty major," he insisted.

"I wanted the first time you saw her to be as a little girl," she continued. "Not just as a pile of parts and a fancy program. And I know you would have wanted to see her if I told you about her earlier."

"That's not the point."

"That is the point! Shutaro, do you remember how you treated me when I was still just a satellite?"

"Huh?"

"The way you treated 'Shu-chan' was a lot different from how you treated 'Sayomi', and you know it."

Shutaro sighed. "We've had this conversation before, haven't we? I thought we were past this."

"It might not seem like such a big deal to you," she said with a hint of sadness in her voice. "It wasn't until I became Sayomi that you finally treated me like a real person and fell in love with me." She gestured towards Sumiko. "She's a very sensitive child. Can you really say that you would have treated her the same way no matter how she looked? And I want you to be completely honest with yourself here."

His guilty silence was answer enough.

"I'm sorry, Shutaro. It was really hard not telling you. This whole time I've wanted to tell you about every little thing. I just really felt like this was the best way."

"I'm sorry too," he finally replied. "This is just a lot to take in all of the sudden."

"I know it is," she replied.

"She can't live in your lab," he pointed out.

"I was rather hoping she wouldn't have to..."

"She looks about the same age as Keiko-chan," he pointed out. "How in the world are we going to explain suddenly having a three year old running around? We're not even married yet."

"It wouldn't be the first time something like that happened," she giggled.

"Be serious," he replied. "We're not exactly low profile people. And it'll be a lot of trouble if anyone finds out about you."

"I know," Sayomi conceded. "But everyone knows that we've been together for this long. And I'm a pretty private person."

"So we just let everyone think I knocked you up back when you were still in high school?

"I guess so," she replied. "Back when we had the records doctored to give me an legal past, we specified that I dropped out of school right after you left the university. And it's common knowledge that I started living here with you around that time. It all kind of fits, doesn't it?"

"I guess so," he reluctantly agreed. "Everyone who stuck around here after everything that happened is pretty loyal. I suppose we could get away with it."

"Thank you, Shutaro. I know this is asking a lot."

"Well, I can't say that I never wanted a child," he admitted. "I didn't really think it was possible unless we adopted one though."

"Honestly I didn't know she was going to turn out like this at first. As I started trying to salvage her, I found that she was more heavily damaged than I thought. What was left was pretty childlike. I decided it would be best just to repair what was broken and let her develop naturally from there."

"So how much like a normal three year old is she?"

"She's pretty normal, actually" Sayomi replied. "She's smart, but she's still learning a lot of things. Her vocabulary's still not that extensive, and she definitely craves affection." She smiled as she resumed watching her daughter play. "I've told her all you, of course. She really wanted to meet you, but she's been waiting for me to let her play with Keiko for a long time too."

He nodded as he turned his attention back to the girl as well. "Well, I'm glad she's having fun."

Sumiko's such a sweet girl. I just know she'll win you over."

"Yeah, I'm sure she will," he agreed.


	15. A Trip to Tokyo

"Time to get up!"

"Ugh," Sumiko groaned as she hastily yanked a pillow over her face. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to wake you up," Keiko answered cheerfully as she continued pulling the curtains open, filling the room with bright sunlight. "Now get up sleepyhead!

"I'm not sleepy! You just blinded me."

"Oh."

"Who let you in?" Sumiko demanded as she blinked several times to let her eyes adjust to the sudden brightness.

"I snuck in," Keiko smirked. "Your security isn't half as good as you thought."

"Right," Sumiko drawled as she carefully disconnected her charging cable from the nape of her neck. "It was my mother, wasn't it?"

"I stick with my original story," Keiko insisted.

Rolling her eyes, Sumiko reluctantly got out of bed and started smoothing down her rumpled nightgown. "You're awfully peppy this morning."

"Yep."

Sumiko's eyes narrowed as she noticed Keiko's off-the-shoulder top and decidedly short skirt. "Are you trying to get some guy's attention?"

"Nope, not today."

"Is there a particular reason that you've decided to invade my home this fine morning?" Sumiko inquired patiently.

Keiko grinned. "For someone who's supposed to be so smart, you sure are slow."

"I'm calling security," Sumiko stated flatly.

"It's your birthday!"

"Oh. Yeah, I guess it is."

"Aren't you excited?"

"Not really," Sumiko said with an exaggerated yawn. "I mean, I think my parents just kind of picked the date at random."

"That doesn't matter," Keiko replied. "Come on, get ready. We're going out."

"Where?"

"That's a secret," Keiko replied. "Just get ready."

"Let me guess. Your job is to distract me for a few hours while my parents come up with something lavish, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"This isn't the first time they've done this," Sumiko reminded her. "This isn't even the first time you've helped them."

"Oh come on," Keiko replied as she started rummaging in the closet.

"I guess there's no point in fighting it. Move your butt; I can get my own clothes."

"Fine," Keiko said. "Just make sure you pick out something good today."

"Are you implying that I don't usually look good?" Sumiko asked as she rifled through her small collection of tops.

"Well, sometimes you don't even match," Keiko pointed out.

"I do too!" Sumiko retorted. She quickly picked out a plain white blouse and a pair of jeans. "See, what's wrong with this?"

"That's really plain. Why don't you wear a skirt?"

"I don't want perverts trying to get a peek at my panties all day."

"If they try that, I'll wallop them," Keiko promised. "Come on, dress up a bit for once."

"Why? I'm not trying to impress anyone."

"It's just for fun," Keiko insisted as she nudged her way back into the closet. She rummaged for a moment, and then held out a light blue sleeveless top. "Here, I've never seen you wear this one before."

"My mom just recently got it for me," Sumiko replied.

"Trust me, this is going to look great on you," Keiko said as she snatched out a knee-length layered skirt to go with it.

"Fine, fine," Sumiko agreed as Keiko insistently thrust the clothes at her. "You win."

"Ok," Keiko replied as she sat down on the edge of Sumiko's bed.

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Are you going to get out so I can change?" Sumiko demanded.

"Huh? But we change in the same room every day at school."

"I'm not wearing any underwear this time," Sumiko bit out, her face now completely red.

"Oh." Keiko blinked. "Well, that's still not a big deal. We're both girls."

"Out!"

"Fine, fine." Keiko turned back as she stepped out into the hallway. "When did you get so shy?"

"When I stopped being ten years old," Sumiko replied as she firmly shut the door.

"You're so uptight," Keiko sighed. "What are you going to do when you have to go to a public bath? Or a hot spring?"

"If it ever came up, I'd wear a towel. And why on earth would I ever get in a hot spring?" Sumiko demanded through the door. "I don't understand the urge to boil yourself."

"It feels really nice," Keiko retorted. "I remember back when I was a kid we used to visit this really nice one up in Hokkaido. I loved that place."

"Then why don't you go anymore?"

"They banned my parents."

"Do I want to know why?"

"No, probably not."

"You have weird parents," Sumiko remarked.

"Yes, I know. Are you about done yet?"

"Just about."

Keiko shook her head. "You're pretty slow."

The door flew open a moment later. "I am not slow," Sumiko huffed as she walked past, brushing her hair as she went.

"Maybe not compared to a snail," Keiko joked as she caught up to her friend. "You know, that outfit really suits you."

Sumiko's face started to redden again. "Stop messing with me," she bit out.

Keiko gave her a curious look. "Anyways... hurry up, your car's supposed to be waiting out front."

"I assume we're going somewhere far away then."

"I'm not giving you any hints," Keiko smugly replied as she took to the air. "I'll race you outside!"

"I'm not racing you," Sumiko called out, not bothering to pick up her own pace.

Keiko shot down the stairs and out the front doors, not stopping until she reached the Mercedes idling outside.

"Good morning, Moroboshi-san," the chauffeur said as he promptly opened the door for her. "I assume the young mistress is still on her way down."

"Yeah, she's coming," Keiko replied as she dove inside and sank down in the comfortable leather seats. "Have I told you that I love this car?"

"It certainly is a pleasure to drive," he admitted. "I just wish the young mistress would make more use of it."

"Hey, you can just drive just me around if want," Keiko laughed.

"Even though the young mistress doesn't call on me often, I do have to remain ready in case she does," he explained apologetically. He glanced over at the front door. "Ah, it looks like she's arrived."

"You're a slowpoke," Keiko called out.

"Jeez," Sumiko grouched as she got in the car. "I told you I wasn't going to race."

"You're still a slowpoke."

"Do you see what I have to put up with?" Sumiko demanded as the chauffeur settled in his seat.

"You have my deepest sympathy," he chuckled as he started the car.

"So when are you going to tell me where we're going?" Sumiko demanded after a few minutes.

Keiko grinned. "You'll see when we get there."

Sumiko huffed. "You're not even going to tell me?" she asked the driver.

"Moroboshi-san asked me not to," he chuckled. "And your mother asked me to listen to her today."

"I swear, I don't get any respect around here," Sumiko griped as she settled back in her seat.

"You worry too much," Keiko scolded. "Just relax. I promise that we're going to have a lot of fun today."

"Your idea of fun usually isn't very relaxing."

Keiko crossed her arms resolutely. "Relaxing is boring."

* * *

"So we're just spending the day downtown?" Sumiko asked as the driver smoothly brought the car to a halt on the side of the busy street.

"It'll be fun," Keiko protested. "How often do we even leave Tomobiki?

"Not often,' Sumiko admitted.

"Exactly."

"I'll be in the area," the chauffeur assured them as he held open the door. "Just give me a call if you need me."

"I'm sure we'll be fine," Sumiko replied as she stepped out onto the sidewalk. "Thank you though. I'll make sure you get a bonus for having to deal with all this traffic."

"That's my job," he replied easily as he got back in the car. "Stay safe, you two."

Sumiko nodded. "You as well."

We should be just a little north of Shiba Park," Keiko replied as she fetched a map out of her pocket and hurriedly unfolded it. "We're right around here."

"Yeah, that's right," Sumiko said as she quickly checked their GPS coordinates. "So what's first on the agenda?"

"The park, silly," Keiko replied as she floated off. "Come on."

"Slow down a bit," Sumiko grumped as she struggled to catch up. "Why are we going there?"

"I've never been. I've seen it in a lot of movies and anime though."

"Yeah, but isn't it usually couples who go there?"

Keiko thought for a minute. "You know, you're right." She shot Sumiko a sly grin. "Maybe we ought to hold hands while we're there."

"Shut up."

"Hah, I made you blush," Keiko laughed.

"Considering that it's my 'birthday'," Sumiko grouched, "shouldn't you be a bit nicer to me?"

"I'm sorry, Sumiko-chan," Keiko apologized as she landed on the ground. She suddenly whipped around and stepped in close, her face only inches away from Sumiko's. "Let's stop all this silly bickering and start making some wonderful memories together, alright?"

Sumiko's face was bright red as she stepped back. "S-s-stop that," she stuttered. "You're being weird."

"Yay, I got you all flustered that time," Keiko crowed triumphantly as she took back to the air.

"What is wrong with you?"

"I'm just having some fun with you," Keiko laughed.

"You're such a brat," Sumiko retorted.

The two fell silent for a couple of minutes as they continued down the street.

"How come you aren't walking today?" Sumiko asked abruptly.

Keiko looked surprised. "I don't know. Flying's just easier."

"I thought you were trying to get in shape."

"I am," Keiko agreed. She touched down lightly on the sidewalk and started walking beside Sumiko. "I've been kind of slacking off since the break started though. It's no fun walking all alone."

"Why don't you call up your boyfriend and ask him to go with you?"

"He's not my boyfriend," Keiko sighed. "Unfortunately."

"You two are pretty cozy though."

"Not really. I'm still smack dab in the friends zone."

"Oh."

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong," Keiko murmured.

"I think he's just weird," Sumiko replied.

Keiko shrugged. "Whatever. I don't really want to talk about him today."

"Moroboshi Keiko-chan doesn't want to talk about boys? I dare say the world is coming to an end."

Sumiko received only a flat stare in response.

"Heh, maybe you're finally growing up," she suggested. "Who knows, maybe we'll actually have an intelligent conversation some day."

"Your idea of an intelligent conversation probably involves formulas and equations," Keiko retorted. "I don't really want to talk about that kind of thing either."

Sumiko was quiet for a moment. "What do you want to talk about?"

Keiko shrugged. "Have you talked to Kinuka-chan lately?"

"Actually, I'm kind of worried about her. I called her the other day and she sounded depressed for some reason," Sumiko answered. "I don't know what's bothering her."

"Yeah, I thought she was acting odd too," Keiko agreed. "I asked her yesterday if she wanted to come with us today, but she said she couldn't."

"Maybe she's just having to work more since we're out of school."

"I don't know," Keiko replied. "Azumi-chan couldn't come either. She's off somewhere visiting some relatives."

"Speaking of that, you'll be leaving soon, won't you?"

"Yeah, on the 22nd," Keiko confirmed.

"That ought to be nice."

"Yeah, it should be. I haven't seen my grandparents or cousin Ten-chan in a couple of years."

"I remember that your father's parents visited once back when we were little," Sumiko reminisced. "Your grandpa was really nice."

"Yeah, he is," Keiko agreed. "That was way back before the Trade Alliance got so strict about everything."

"Yeah, I guess so." Sumiko's expression fell. "It'd be too risky for me to try stowing away on your ship, wouldn't it?"

"They have agents come on board and scan the ship real well every time," Keiko pointed out. "So yeah, I don't think that'd be a good idea."

"That's what I figured."

"Sorry."

Sumiko smiled. "It's not your fault. It's those idiots up in orbit."

"Yeah," Keiko agreed. "But enough depressing talk. Look, there's the park entrance!"

"Ah, yeah, it is."

"Come on," Keiko said cheerfully as she left the ground and grabbed Sumiko's hand. "Let's go!"

"What's the hurry?" Sumiko demanded as she was persistently pulled along.

"I just want to do as much as possible today."

* * *

"Well, I'm officially sick of shopping," Sumiko announced as they strolled down the street. "And we've already been all over the park. What's next?"

"It was fun though, right?"

"Yeah, I had fun," Sumiko admitted truthfully. "It's been too long since we did anything like this."

"Hey, look up," Keiko said abruptly.

Sumiko glanced up, just now noticing that their wandering feet had taken them near the mammoth structure that dominated the area. "Tokyo Tower, huh? It's pretty big."

"It's taller than I thought," Keiko marveled. "Hey, we've still got a couple of hours to play around. Do you want to go up and see the view?"

"You want to? Really?"

"Yep."

"Is it because this place is in a lot of anime?"

"No. Not really."

Sumiko rolled her eyes. "Right. Well, I guess it would be a waste not to visit since we're right here."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I felt like that tower was just taunting me the whole time we were at the park."

"If you say so," Sumiko replied. Her mouth curled up in an amused grin. "Hey, speaking of the park, why did you keep grabbing at my hand the whole time we were there?"

"You said it was a place for couples," Keiko replied innocently.

Sumiko glanced away. "Some days you are just plain weird."

"Yes, yes, I know," Keiko replied dismissively as she headed towards the large building underneath the tower. "Come on, I read that there's a long wait to get tickets for the upper observation deck."

"Well, at least it's not the weekend," Sumiko pointed out as she trailed after her eager friend. "Maybe it won't be as busy."

"Did you bring a camera?" Keiko asked as they approached the doors.

"No," Sumiko replied. "Someone wouldn't tell me where we were going today."

"All I've got is the one in my phone," Keiko pouted. "It's not that good, but it'll have to do." She shot a sly glance back at Sumiko. "Aren't your eyes like cameras?"

"Somewhat," Sumiko responded. "But you aren't going to get any pictures out of my brain. My memory doesn't work that way."

"That figures."

"Well excuse me for having the digital equivalent of a human brain," Sumiko grumped. "It's not like you can do any better."

Keiko thrust her cell phone in Sumiko's face and snapped a picture. "Nice," she giggled.

"Delete that," Sumiko complained as she snatched at the phone.

"No way," Keiko replied as she floated safely out of reach. "Your expression is hilarious."

"Humph. Let's just get our tickets already."

"Fine," Keiko laughed as she headed inside.

"Welcome to Tokyo Tower," a smartly dressed woman greeted them. "The wait time to go up to the main observation deck is currently 35 minutes. It will be an additional 40-minute wait from there if you wish to visit the upper special observation deck. Unfortunately the wait to come back down is about the same. There is also a wide variety of shops and activities right here in Foot Town that are sure to keep you busy!"

"Wow, that's a long wait," Sumiko replied.

"We don't have that much time left," Keiko pointed out. "I promised your mom we'd be back by five."

"Well, it's not really that big of a deal, is it?" Sumiko whispered to Keiko. "I mean, really, you could just fly up the side of the tower and get the exact same view."

Keiko's shook her head glumly. "There wouldn't be any point."

Sumiko groaned. "Ok. Fine, you win. I usually wouldn't do this," she told Keiko. Turning her attention back to the woman, she gave her a pleasant smile. "Excuse me, ma'am? I don't suppose that you have any sort of express line that we could pay extra for?"

"I'm afraid not," the greeter replied. "There's only the one line."

"Really...Well, employees don't have to wait to go up, do they? That'd be ridiculous."

"Well, no," the woman hesitantly admitted. "But I'm afraid we can't make any exceptions for visitors. It wouldn't be fair to everyone else." She glanced nervously over at the green haired girl glumly hovering half a foot off the ground. "No matter who you are."

Sumiko closed her eyes. "Please give me a moment," she murmured.

The woman looked increasingly more uncomfortable as Sumiko silently stood there without opening her eyes.

It was nearly three minutes before Sumiko blinked. "Sorry about that," she said hurriedly. "I believe that our dilemma has been resolved. I don't want to take up any more of your time, so we'll just go wait over there."

The woman gave them a worried glance as they wandered off to the side of the ticket line, but she quickly returned to greeting the next group of people.

"What just happened?" Keiko demanded as soon as they were out of earshot. "You didn't do something crazy like buy the tower, did you?"

"No way," Sumiko denied. " I'm not my father. Plus that would take too long."

"Then what did you do?"

"I just let my mother know what was going on," Sumiko replied. "She'll figure out something to get us up there in time."

"Sorry. I really didn't mean for this to become a big deal," Keiko murmured.

"Don't worry about it. If I can't ask for a little favor like this on my birthday, then it's not worth much, is it?"

"I guess not."

They had only been waiting for about 10 minutes when a slightly pudgy man came racing across the lobby towards them. "I apologize for the delay, Mendou-sama, Moroboshi-san" he apologized. "I rushed down as soon as I heard about your situation."

"Hello," Sumiko greeted him. "I'm sorry for the trouble."

"It's no trouble at all," the man assured them with a slight bow. "I'm the general manager of the tower, Maeda Hotaka. Please allow me to give you a personal tour of the tower."

"Oh, that's not really necessary," she protested.

"I insist," he replied firmly. "It's not often we receive such honored guests." He gave them a dazzling smile and beckoned for them to follow. "The view from the observation decks really has to be seen to be believed."

"I feel guilty to be cutting in front of all these people," Sumiko admitted as they headed towards the elevators.

"Please don't worry about that, I'm sure they will understand," he replied.

Sumiko shook her head. "I'd like to do something. Please wait a moment, Keiko-chan."

Keiko waited patiently as Sumiko led the manager over to the ticket booth and had a brief conversation with the cashier. She noticed that Sumiko looked a bit when the two returned.

"I went ahead and paid for everyone who was here before us," Sumiko explained as they boarded one of the elevators.

"That was very generous of you, Mendou-sama," the manager replied.

"That was awfully nice," Keiko agreed. She leaned in close and whispered a quick "Thank you."

"It's no big deal," Sumiko stammered with a slight blush.

After they spent the rest of the ride up in silence, Keiko rushed out the second the doors opened and headed straight for the large viewing windows that stretched out before them.

"Hurry up, Sumiko-chan," she said excitedly. "This view is awesome."

"Wow," Sumiko commented as she looked out across the city. "This is pretty cool."

"Over there's the park," Keiko pointed out. "It looks a lot smaller from here, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does."

"I wonder if I can see Mt. Fuji from here!" Keiko exclaimed as she wondered off towards another window.

"Sorry about this," Sumiko apologized to the patiently waiting manager.

"Please don't apologize," he said earnestly. "One of the things I love most about working here is seeing how much our visitors enjoy the view."

"I'm just not sure why Keiko-chan is so excited though. She can fly. She can get a view like this whenever she wants."

"I suppose it's more meaningful when you can share it with your friends," he pointed out. "She's probably just happy that you're here as well."

Sumiko blinked. "I guess so," she replied.

"Hey, Sumiko-chan, look over here," Keiko called out.

The manager's smiled as he patiently watched the two enjoy the sights.

"Maeda-san?"

He turned to find one of his assistants. "Yes?"

"Sir, I know said we had important guests, but we've got a big problem."

"What is it?"

"The transmitters are acting up," she explained hurriedly. "The technicians said that something seems to be causing a lot of interference."

"Great. Which stations are affected?" he moaned.

"All of them," she replied. "We've even had complaints from the FM stations."

He sighed. "When it rains, it pours, I suppose. Very well, I'll be along in a moment."

"Thank you sir."

He forced a smile back on his face as he hurriedly apologized to the girls. "Sorry about this, but something urgent has come up that requires my attention elsewhere. Please just let the attendant know if you want to visit the special observatory."

"That's fine," Sumiko assured him. "Thank you very much again for helping us out like this."

"Thank you, Maeda-san," Keiko piped up. "This place is awesome."

"Think nothing of it," he assured them as he headed off. "I hope you take away some wonderful memories today."

Keiko smiled as she turned her attention back to the city below. "This really is nice."

"Yeah," Sumiko agreed happily.

"Hey, wait here a moment. I'm going to see what all's on the lower floor, ok?"

"Hmm?" Sumiko looked up but Keiko was already heading for the stairs. "Oh, ok, whatever," she murmured as she leaned against the rail.

It was nearly ten minutes before Keiko returned. "Hey," she greeted Sumiko.

"You took long enough," Sumiko retorted. "What were you doing down there?"

"It's neat. They've got a little shrine, and a restaurant, and even a gift shop down there."

"Really? I want to see."

"Come on then," Keiko laughed.

* * *

Keiko stretched her arms out wide as they waited for the elevator to reach the bottom. "I wish we could have seen Mt. Fuji," she griped.

"I could just barely make it out," Sumiko admitted. "It was just a blur."

"I hope we're not going to be late," Keiko murmured. "These elevators are so slow."

"I'm going to go ahead and call my chauffeur so he'll be ready to pick us up."

"Good idea."

Sumiko frowned after a moment. "That's weird."

"What?"

"I'm not getting any signal."

"Maybe we're in a dead zone," Keiko suggested as she checked her cell phone. "I don't have any bars either."

"Maybe it's just the tower," Sumiko mused. "But it was working fine down in the lobby."

"Anything yet?" Keiko asked as the doors finally opened at the bottom floor.

"Nothing," Sumiko answered as she headed quickly towards the exit. "This is really weird."

"Thank you for visiting!" the greeter called after them as the two headed outside.

"I can't even reach our satellites," Sumiko griped as she strode out into the open. "Something isn't right."

"I'm still not getting anything either," Keiko noted. "And look around!"

Sumiko looked around. The plaza was mostly empty, but many of those remaining were fiddling anxiously with their phones. "I could understand if there was just a cellular outage," she stated quietly, "But I have a direct connection to those satellites." She gave Keiko a worried look. "Let's try to find a phone booth."

"I think I saw one down the street a bit," Keiko replied. "Let's go."

"Wait up," Sumiko said as she struggled to keep up with her fast flying friend.

She caught up in time to see Keiko slamming the phone back on the receiver. "Don't tell me it's not working either."

"It doesn't even have a dial tone," Keiko grumped.

"Well that's just perfect," Sumiko replied. "Now what are we supposed to do?"

"Please allow me to offer my assistance."

The girls whirled around to find a strange figure looming over them. The man wore a long dark hooded cloak that obscured the upper half of his face, leaving only a leering grin visible. His expression didn't change as he held out a gloved hand invitingly.

"Who are you?" Sumiko demanded as she pushed Keiko back a step.

"I'm an old friend of your mother, Keiko-chan," he answered in a thick accent. "She asked me to come find you. I was afraid it would be difficult, but there aren't that many girls with green hair on this planet, are there?" He let out an abrupt chuckle. "Now if you're ready, I have a vehicle waiting to take us back."

That's ok," Keiko replied nervously. "We've already got a ride. It should be here any moment now."

"Now I think we both know that isn't true," he chuckled. "Come on, I promise I won't bite." His mouth widened a bit, revealing a small but sharp pair of fangs.

"If you're a friend of my mother's, then what's your name?" Keiko demanded.

"My name?" he repeated slowly. "My name is Anagha."

"I've never heard of you."

"Then perhaps you've heard of my older brother, Rupa? Prince of the World of Darkness?"

"Well, yes, I have heard of him," Keiko reluctantly admitted. "No one ever mentioned you though."

"Ah, I am sure there are a great many things that have not been mentioned," Anagha retorted as he took a step towards them.

Sumiko stubbornly pushed Keiko back again, keeping herself between the stranger and her friend. "This is too suspicious," she stated bluntly. "We'll find our own way back, if you don't mind."

His smile faded. "I don't think you understand," he bit out as he lurched forward and grabbed Sumiko by the arm. "You two will come with me."

"Let go," she shrieked as she tried unsuccessfully to shake him loose. His grip merely tightened as he yanked her off balance.

"Shut up," Anagha growled as he twisted Sumiko's arm around her back and trapped her against his side.

"Get out of here!" Sumiko screamed at Keiko. "Get the police!"

Keiko remained frozen for a moment, staring wide-eyed at the man as he made a grab for her as well. At the last moment she leapt nimbly out of his reach and took off down the street at top speed.

Anagha smirked as he watched her disappear around the corner. "I was only able to get one of them," he growled into his collar as he covered Sumiko's mouth with his free hand. "The Oni flew away, but I doubt she'll get very far."

A black car promptly screeched to a stop just behind them, and the door was hurriedly thrown open by a man dressed in the same black robes. Anagha quickly looked around to make sure no one was watching, then with a grunt started wrestling Sumiko towards the car.

"You're really frigging heavy," he growled. "What the hell do they feed you on this planet?"

She glared up venomously at him, unable to reply.

Anagha was so intent on getting his captive over to the car that he never noticed the other girl hurtling feet first at him from above. Keiko's boots connected squarely with the side of his face, sending him staggering backwards and allowing Sumiko to tear herself free of his grasp.

Keiko waited until Sumiko was well out of the way before she zapped the black-cloaked man with a strong bolt of electricity. He stumbled backwards, but quickly managed regained his balance. Keiko zapped him again even harder, but he barely even seemed to notice.

"It's no good! Just run!" Sumiko yelled as she grabbed Keiko's hand.


	16. An Ultimatum

"Did we lose them?" Keiko demanded.

Sumiko risked a quick look back the way they had come. "I don't see them," she whispered. "That doesn't mean they aren't still looking though. Come on; let's keep moving. It's dangerous to remain out in the open like this."

"I just don't understand why this is happening," Keiko moaned as they crept down the narrow alleyway. "We were just minding our own business, weren't we?"

"I don't know what's going on," Sumiko answered as she tried to keep an eye out behind them. "But whatever it is, it's something big. I saw at least seven or eight of those black robe guys. And it can't be a coincidence that all the phones went out."

"My mom told me that Prince Rupa was pretty nice. Well, aside from the kidnapping and forced marriage thing."

"Maybe his brother's looking for a wife this time."

Keiko shot her a panicked look.

"There's no way that's going to happen," Sumiko hastily assured her. "Anyways, it doesn't really matter. Right now we just need to get somewhere safe."

"It's too bad I can't carry you," Keiko grumbled as they neared the alley's exit. "They'd never catch us then."

"I'm not so sure about that. That guy wasn't too worried earlier about you getting away."

"Well, I don't see anyone on this street either," Keiko confirmed as she peeked around the corner. "Maybe we really did lose them."

"Maybe." Sumiko cautiously stepped out and scanned the area. She nudged Keiko and pointed at a small shop half a block away. "We need to get to that little boutique over there," she pointed out.

"Le Pyjama de Chatte?"

"Yeah. Let's move."

Sumiko sprinted down the street towards the shop with Keiko following close behind. To their mutual relief there was still no sign of their pursuers when they reached the entrance to the shop.

"Get in," Sumiko ordered as she yanked open the door. The moment they were both inside she glanced around once more and hastily pulled the door shut. With a sigh of relief she carefully engaged the unusually heavy-duty lock.

"Excuse me, but may I help you?" the store clerk fussed as she approached them.

"My name is Mendou Sumiko," Sumiko replied as she quickly made sure there were no customers in the store. "We've got a bit of an emergency and need to make a call."

The clerk's eyes widened. "Oh! Yes, Mendou-sama," she replied with a hasty bow. "Right this way!"

"How are you going to make a call?" Keiko asked as they followed the girl through the shop. "All the phones stopped working, remember?"

"This is a direct landline back to the estate, so it shouldn't be affected," Sumiko explained. "This place is actually one of our panic centers. The walls are reinforced and everything."

"For a panic center, they have some pretty nightgowns," Keiko murmured as she glanced around at the racks.

"Well, we do try to make them profitable," Sumiko replied.

"I apologize for my earlier tone," the girl said nervously as they reached the rear door. "It's just that I didn't recognize you at first, and I never even dreamed that anyone would need to use this place."

"It's no big deal," Sumiko replied dismissively.

The clerk hurriedly unlocked the door and held it open for them. "Here we are," she announced as she led them into a small office.

Keiko's eyes widened as she followed them inside. From the thickness and the rows of retracted bolts lining the sides, the door looked like it belonged on a bank vault.

"This is all made of Mendou Super Metal," Sumiko noted as she passed through. "I guess they really didn't spare any expense."

Once they were all inside, the clerk hurriedly shut the door and rushed over to a large desk in the back of the room. Kneeling down, she fumbled for a hidden switch underneath. After a moment a panel on the desktop slid away to reveal a corded handset. At the same time the deafening sound of the heavy door locks engaging rang out in the small room.

"Thank you," Sumiko said as she snatched up the phone. "Hello?"

"Young Mistress?" a male voice answered almost immediately. "Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me. Listen, some strange men just tried to kidnap Keiko-chan and me. We need a security detail down here immediately."

"I'm dispatching an elite squad as we speak, but it's going to take them a little while to get there," the officer apologized. "Unfortunately we're having trouble contacting any of the groups stationed in your vicinity."

"I believe that all communications are being blocked by the kidnappers. Is my mother aware of the situation?"

"Yes, she is," he confirmed. "I believe she is currently engaged in locating the source of the disturbance."

"I'm surprised that she hasn't broken into this call yet," Sumiko noted. "This must be a tough one."

"I would imagine so."

"Well, please let her know that all of the kidnappers seem to be wearing full length black robes. There are at least eight of them, and one of them said that his name was Anagha. He claimed to be Prince Rupa's younger brother."

"I'm sending her the details right now," he replied. He paused for a moment. "My records indicate that the office that you are in is extremely well protected. Please make sure that the interior doors remain locked and that you stay in there until our forces arrive."

"Understood," she promised. "Just make sure that they hurry."

* * *

"How much longer do you think it'll be?" Keiko asked as she idly fanned herself with one hand.

"Probably not much longer," Sumiko replied.

"I'm sorry that it's so hot," the clerk quietly apologized. "It gets rather stuffy back here even with the door open."

"Don't worry, I can stand it," Keiko assured her. "Hey, what's your name, anyways?"

"T-Tegatai Nemaki," the girl stammered.

"That's a cute name, Nemaki-chan," Keiko replied. "I'm Moroboshi Keiko. Have you worked here long?"

"Just a few months."

"I apologize for involving you in all this," Sumiko spoke up. "This was the closest facility though."

"Please don't apologize, Mendou-sama," Nemaki protested. "This is what we're really here for, after all. I'm just glad that you're safe."

"Still, I'll make sure you receive a bonus for this," Sumiko promised.

"Oh, that's really not necessary."

"No, no, I insi-" Sumiko stopped mid sentence. "What are you doing, Keiko-chan?"

"Trying to get some air. It's really hot," Keiko replied as she tugged the collar of her blouse dangerously low.

"We don't want to see your boobs!"

"Excuse me?"

"I don't have a problem with it, Moroboshi-san," Nemaki said.

Sumiko grimaced and looked away, her face extremely red. "Whatever."

"Sumiko-chan is just being weird today," Keiko grouched as she leaned back against the wall. "Don't mind her."

"I am not weird," Sumiko grumbled.

An insistent beeping from the desk interrupted Keiko's response. "What's that?" she demanded.

"I believe that's the front door's proximity alarm," Nemaki explained.

Sumiko frowned. "This place has security cameras, right?"

Nemaki nodded and hastily flipped another switch underneath the desk. This time a section of the wall slid away to reveal a bank of small displays.

"It's him," Sumiko hissed, pointing at the monitor showing the outside of the shop.

The man known as Anagha chose that moment to glance calmly up at the camera, as if he could tell that they were watching. He grinned widely, eliciting a shiver from all three of the girls.

"Is that the guy who's after you? He looks pretty creepy." Nemaki commented nervously.

"Damn it. He must have spotted us coming in here." Sumiko growled.

They watched helplessly as Anagha pulled out a small circular device from his robes and placed it on the front door. He stepped back a few steps, eerily never taking his eyes off the camera. After a moment a dull thud reached their ears through the thick walls as the door was blown apart.

"Ugh, he's going to trash the shop!" Nemaki protested.

"That's really the least of our worries," Sumiko retorted.

"He won't be able to do that to this door, will he?" Keiko asked fearfully.

"How should I know?" Sumiko replied. "I don't even know what kind of explosives he just used."

As Anagha stepped through the blasted doorway, he casually threw back his hood, finally allowing the girls a clear look at his face. His short ash-blonde hair was a strong contrast to his dark complexion. His light blue eyes narrowed as he looked straight at the security camera in the corner of the store.

"Ya know, he's actually kind of cute," Keiko murmured.

"This is not the time for that!" Sumiko scolded. "Hey, Tegatai-san, is this footage being forwarded back to the estate?"

"When I activated the locks it should have started the data feed as well," Nemaki confirmed.

Sumiko nodded. "Good. If we get out of this, I want to know exactly who this jerk is."

"I don't like your "if"," Keiko complained. "You don't really think he can break down this door, do you?"

"I guess we'll see in a minute," Sumiko whispered.

Anagha made a beeline for the office door. "Ladies," he said in a pleasant tone, "please come on out of there. I'm not going to harm you."

Sumiko placed a finger on her lips, signaling the other two to stay quiet.

"It's no use pretending that you're not in there," he continued. He cast a glance over at the nearest security camera. "You might think that you're safe in your little vault, but that's simply not true. Either you come out, or I'm going to have to break in."

After a few moments without any answer, Anagha's grin abruptly disappeared. "If I have to break down this door, then it's likely that at least one of you is going to be hurt. I'm sure you'd like to avoid that as much as I would."

"I think he's bluffing," Sumiko whispered. "He just wants us to make it easy for him."

Anagha shook his head. "Fine, have it your way." He took another small device from his robes and stuck it on the door, then stepped back a few steps.

"Get down!" Sumiko snapped, pushing the two girls down towards the floor.

The device exploded with a deafening boom, shaking the entire store. To the girls' relief the heavy door strained against its bolts, but held firm.

"Interesting," Anagha laughed. "I guess you Earthlings have a few tricks after all." He promptly retrieved another small device from his robes and reached out to stick it on the already scarred door. "I guess I'll just have to use a really strong one."

Before he could finish speaking there was a loud explosion just outside the door. The girls huddled in the far corner of the office as the office shook even more violently than before.

"Direct hit!" a familiar voice called out triumphantly.

"Father?" Sumiko murmured as she scrabbled to check the monitors.

The first thing she noticed through the thick smoke and debris was that much of the front of the shop was now missing. The second was the large tank sitting in the street directly outside, a parachute trailing limply behind.

The pile of debris in front of the office door erupted as Anagha emerged and staggered unsteadily to his feet. Sumiko noted with some satisfaction that his right arm now hung limp at his side.

"Have you had enough?" Shutaro taunted as he leaned out of the commander's hatch.

"Earthlings really are idiots," Anagha muttered angrily. "Hey, what are you thinking? Aren't you afraid of hurting your kid?"

"Mendou Super Metal," was Shutaro's only response.

Anagha's furious expression slowly faded. "Whatever. It's your kid." He nonchalantly dusted himself off a bit before continuing. "I'm a bit surprised that you didn't run into any of my associates."

"Don't underestimate the Mendou Security Forces," Shutaro replied haughtily. "Those idiots don't have a chance. And neither do you. Are you prepared to surrender?"

"Not just yet," Anagha retorted as he swiftly pulled another small device from his robes and tossed it in the direction of the tank.

Shutaro shielded his face as the device exploded in midair, spraying dust and debris in every direction.

"Damn it, where did he go?" Shutaro demanded as he scanned the remains of the shop for the alien.

"Overconfidence will be your downfall," Anagha said as he landed heavily atop the tank turret. "Man to man, you're no threat at all."

Shutaro had no time to react as the alien's foot connected solidly with the side of his head. His forehead slammed forward into the side of the hatch with a loud clang.

"You know, this was all just supposed to be a warning," Anagha grunted as he used his good arm to awkwardly sling Shutaro's limp form over his shoulder. "This is too good of an opportunity to pass up." He turned his gaze back towards the remains of the store. "Another time, ladies." With a grin he pressed a button on his belt and rose smoothly into the air.

"Father!" Sumiko shouted. With a panicked expression she rushed to the door and banged her fists on it. "Hurry up, open this stupid thing!"

"That's not a good idea, Mendou-sama!" Nemaki protested. "It's not safe out there!"

"Do it! That's an order!"

"I'm not a soldier."

"Then move, I'll do it myself!"

"Stop it, Sumiko-chan!" Keiko said as she wedged herself between the two girls. "I think Nemaki-chan's right."

"Get out of the way!" Sumiko pleaded hysterically. "Father's in trouble."

"It's not like there's anything we can do!" Keiko snapped.

In the scuffle it was a moment before the girls noticed that someone else had arrived on the scene.

"Well, well, well, you must be the infamous Lum," Anagha greeted her. "You're even more beautiful in person."

"Put him down," Lum demanded, her hair starting to spark as she drew closer.

"Or what? You'll electrocute both of us? Trust me, I can take a lot more amps than this idiot can."

Lum's expression darkened. "Are you really Prince Rupa's brother?"

"I am."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"I assure you that this is nothing personal," Anagha replied. "It's purely business."

"You went after my daughter. That makes it pretty personal," Lum growled.

"To be honest, I do dislike involving children." Anagha nodded at the still unconscious Shutaro. "So I'll just take this guy with me instead."

"You still haven't said why you're doing this."

"You Oni never were all that bright. were you?" Anagha shook his head in mock exasperation. "Here, I'll spell it all out for you. My employers know that you've been working on forbidden technology down here. Unfortunately they haven't been able to gather enough actual evidence to force the Trade Alliance's hand."

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about," Lum coldly replied.

"Yeah, just keep acting dumb," he retorted. "Bottom line is that if you ever want this human returned, two things are going to have to happen. You, your idiot husband, and your half-breed daughter are going to leave Earth. Forever. Second, the earthlings have to admit to the Trade Alliance what they've been up to." Anagha sneered. "I suspect this guy will end up in a prison somewhere, but that's still better than what's going to happen to him if you don't comply."

Lum was silent for a moment. "You don't really think we're going to let you take him, do you?" she finally asked. "Take a good look around. Shutaro-san's forces have you completely surrounded.

Anagha waved his hand dismissively even as the roar of a wing of fighter jets sounded far overhead. "No one is going to shoot at me," he replied. "Not while I'm carrying their boss."

Lum bit her lip. "Fine then, I'll just stop you myself."

"Fat chance, princess," he laughed. "Aside from your electricity, you're harmless." He glanced up. "It looks like my ride's here anyways."

Just a few meters above them a large triangular shaped ship abruptly materialized. Anagha shot up towards an open hatch and slipped inside with his prize. The moment he was clear the hatch slammed shut behind him.

"Come back here!" Lum yelled as she pounded ineffectually on the unyielding hatch.

The ship shimmered as it faded from sight. A moment later Lum was sent tumbling as the cloaked ship blasted off. She barely managed to regain control in time to avoid slamming into the ground.

In the remains of the shop the heavy door of the office finally clattered open. Sumiko scrambled out into the street, tripping more than once in her haste. "Father?" she whispered as she scanned the skies for any trace of the ship.

Keiko emerged more slowly, her right eye half shut and beginning to darken.

"Are you girls alright?" Lum demanded irritably as she reached them. Noticing Keiko's black eye, she grabbed her daughter's shoulders and started examining her. "Are you ok? What happened? Did that bastard hit you?" she asked, her voice slipping back and forth between concern and fury.

"No," Keiko murmured softly as she glanced at Sumiko. "This was just an accident."

Back in the office, the phone started to ring.

Nemaki hesitantly picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"A armored transport will be there shortly," a woman's voice briskly informed her. "Please make sure my daughter stays put until it arrives."

"Yes, Ma'am," Nemaki promised.

* * *

"I regret to announce that tonight's party has been canceled," Ryoko sadly announced to the assembled guests. "I apologize for the late notice, but we've had a bit of a family emergency and won't be able to continue. You have the Mendou family's heartfelt gratitude for coming this evening, and I promise that we will make this up to you." She bowed slightly in apology. "Good night, everyone."

Leaving the servants to handle clearing out the confused crowd, Ryoko swiftly retreated from the dining hall.

"What happened?" Sakura demanded as she caught up to Ryoko.

"I'll give you the details in private," Ryoko promised. "Something's happened to Shutaro, but it's not anything we want the public to catch wind of."

"It's that bad, huh?" Sakura sighed.

"Excuse me, Mendou-san," a hesitant voice piped up from behind them. "Is Sumiko-chan ok? We haven't heard from her or Keiko-chan all day. They won't even answer their phones."

Ryoko spun around to find a couple of teenage girls had followed them. "Oh, yes, they're both just fine," she assured the two.

"That's good to hear," Azumi replied. "Do you think we could at least wish Sumiko-chan a happy birthday real quick?"

"I'm afraid she's not on the estate at the moment," Ryoko replied evasively.

"You're Takamura-san from class 1-4, right? Sakura asked. "Don't worry, we'll make sure to relay your message to Mendou-san when she returns."

"Oh, ok," Azumi replied. "Thank you. I guess we'll be going then."

"Be careful on your way home," Sakura admonished. Turning her attention back to Ryoko, she missed the suspicious look the two girls exchanged as they walked away.

"Well, what do you think happened?" Azumi demanded as soon as they were out of earshot.

Kinuka shrugged. "It's not really our business, is it?"

"How can you say that? Our friends have both disappeared, Sumiko-chan's big party got canceled at the last moment with no explanation, and those two just now were acting pretty dodgy. This is totally suspicious."

"She said it was a family emergency," Kinuka replied. "We shouldn't pry."

Azumi shook her head. "If I could just let something like this slide, then I wouldn't have any right to call myself a journalist."

Kinuka stared at her flatly.

"Come on, I just want to make sure they're really ok," Azumi insisted. "I can't do it without you."

"Fine," Kinuka sighed. "If we get in trouble, it's your fault."

"Of course!" Azumi agreed.

* * *

"Ok, the girls and Lum-san have been picked up and are on their way back now," Sayomi tensely announced. "I'm assigning an air wing to cover the transport.

"Good," Ataru replied as he continued to pace nervously back and forth across the tiny command center.

"Ataru-san, would you mind not doing that? It's distracting."

"Oh." He came to an abrupt halt and plopped down heavily on the floor. "Sorry, Sayomi-san."

"Thank you," she replied as she turned her attention back to the multitude of data pouring in from various sources. "I still don't see any sign of the other aliens. They all appear to have disengaged from our forces as soon as that ship disappeared."

"Any luck on finding their ship?"

"None," Sayomi replied. "It must have had a much better cloaking system than the last one." She bowed her head. "At this point there's a good chance they've already left the planet."

"We don't know that for sure," Ataru protested.

"I'm sure they know that the longer they hang around, the more likely I am to find them," Sayomi replied.

Ataru pounded a fist on the floor. "I should have went with them," he muttered.

"There wasn't anything you could have done," Sayomi said coldly. "You might have been kidnapped as well."

"You don't know that," he grumped.

Sayomi turned her attention back to the transport. Fortunately the armored vehicle was making good time through the streets of Tokyo. It didn't appear that the aliens were going to try anything else at the moment, but there was no sense in taking chances.

"So what do we do now?" Ataru finally asked.

"I don't know," she admitted. "We'll need to discuss our options once Lum-san returns."

"This is a real mess," he sighed. "I don't want to leave Earth again, but if it's for Mendou..."

Sayomi remained silent for a few minutes. Even if they followed Anagha's instructions, there was no guarantee Shutaro would be returned. That wouldn't be the end of their problems regardless. Once alerted to the fact that the Mendou Corporation had been developing forbidden technology, there was no question that the Trade Alliance would do a thorough investigation. If that happened, the chances of herself and Sumiko being allowed to remain on the planet would be extremely low.

"I think I'd better go ahead and contact Oyuki-sama," she eventually announced. "I think we're going to need her advice."


	17. We Will Be Pioneers

In a well secured room located deep beneath the Mendou estate, a handful of people waited in uneasy silence around a long table. Lum and Ataru sat close together, with Keiko nestled securely in between them, while Sayomi and her daughter sat a bit apart from Ryoko at the other end. More than once Ataru had hesitantly tried to start a conversation, only for his attempts to awkwardly trail off.

"It's getting cold," Sakura complained as she pulled her short sleeved jacket closed.

"I apologize for the abrupt temperature change," Oyuki said as she stepped into the room and quickly closed the subspace tunnel behind her. "It is winter on my planet, after all."

"Not that it makes much difference," Ataru grumbled.

"Oyuki! Thank you for coming so quickly," Lum said, warmly greeted her old friend.

"Sorry for calling you here on such short notice," Sayomi apologized.

"Please, think nothing of it. This is a very serious matter, as I am sure you are all aware," Oyuki sternly replied. "If the Trade Alliance learns what you have been up to, even I will not be able to help you." She shook her head. "However what is most important right now is Mendou-san's safety."

"That's the only thing that's important to me," Sayomi snapped. "The Trade Alliance can go straight to hell."

Oyuki shot her a cold stare, but Sayomi refused to look away. "Though I am in disagreement with many of the current policies of the Alliance, I must remind you that I am still a council member."

"I mean no offense to you, obviously," Sayomi replied irritably. "Here's what bugs me though. There's a giant station hovering over the city, watching us like hawks twenty four hours a day. Even if it was only visible for just a minute, there's no way that they missed that ship. Was there any report of this what happened today?"

"I am hesitant to request too much information," Oyuki admitted. "But no, today's reports contained nothing out of the ordinary."

"Of course not," Sayomi retorted. "Were you at least able to find out anything about this Anagha guy?"

Oyuki nodded. "I was able to confirm that Prince Rupa did indeed have a brother by that name. He was an officer in their space forces, however it seems that he abruptly disappeared a number of years ago. There are rumors that he was unhappy with his brother's ascension to the throne."

Sayomi sighed. "That's not too helpful."

"I have been contemplating this Anagha's demands," Oyuki announced, pointedly ignoring Sayomi's tone. "Whatever you decide to do, please remember that the consequences of complying with his wishes will be far reaching. There are many on the council who still harbor mistrust and even an open hatred of the Oni people. Announcing that Lum has been involved in forbidden actions would greatly strengthen the position of those who wish to revoke Oniboshi's membership."

"And Oniboshi's economy really depends on staying a member," Lum observed.

"Things would not go well for Earth either," Oyuki continued. " The restrictions placed upon your technology and research would be much heavier. In a worst case scenario the Alliance could use this as an excuse for a widespread occupation of the planet."

"So in other words, compliance is not an option, right?" Sayomi demanded.

"That is entirely your decision to make," Oyuki replied. "I merely caution that you should first consider the ramifications of your actions."

"I think we should just go rescue him," Ataru stated firmly.

"That's easier said than done, Darling," Lum replied.

"What other choice do we have?" he demanded. "We can't even guarantee that if we do what he said that they'll really return Mendou.

Sayomi nodded in agreement. "If they want a fight, I say we bring it to them."

"To who?" Oyuki asked. "Whoever is behind this scheme appears quite adept at covering their tracks."

"Then it's lucky that I'm quite good at finding out things," Sayomi countered.

"Usage of your subspace relay would be detected, and the Trade Alliance closely monitors all communications between your planet and the station," Oyuki reminded her. "I would not advise taking any chances with the Alliance's security. Your enemies are undoubtedly aware of your impressive skills, and they likely have already taken appropriate countermeasures against you."

"I don't think I'll find out much from them anyways," Sayomi replied. "But you do raise a good point. There is far too much attention focused upon us while we remain on Earth for us to get anything done."

"So you are planning to leave the planet?"

"That seems like the only logical course to me," Sayomi replied.

"And how do you plan to do that?" Oyuki asked. "The Moroboshis' ship is the only one allowed to land on Earth, and per the agreement it is to be thoroughly inspected upon exiting or entering Earth's orbit. Not to mention it is rather conspicuously an Oni ship.

Sayomi frowned. "We have our own ship. I just have to figure out how to launch it without getting caught."

"I know that we've been made a lot of improvements over the years, but that old shuttle's still pretty primitive," Lum pointed out.

"I know."

"Plus it looks like an upsized NASA space shuttle," Ataru chimed in. "If anyone familiar with Earth technology sees it, they'll know we built it."

"I know," Sayomi repeated irritably. She glanced nervously over at Oyuki. "You've got a lot at stake here as well, don't you?"

"That is correct," Oyuki confirmed. "I have been a supporter of both Earth and Oniboshi for many years now. A scandal such as this has the potential to cause a great deal of problems for my people as well."

"So you're going to help us out, right?" Sayomi demanded.

"That depends. What would you have me do?"

"Use your subspace gate to smuggle our shuttle to Neptune. Then we can launch it without being noticed. You can handle something like that, right?"

Oyuki's eyes grew colder " I certainly have the power to do so. However the smuggling of technology or people has been strictly forbidden," she replied.

"Oyuki-sama, you're already breaking all sorts of regulations just by being here, aren't you? Not to mention the fact that you've known about our illegal research projects for years now."

"I was not aware of the full extent of it until today," Oyuki stubbornly replied.

"But you're not going to report us, are you?"

"No, I will not. But only because of my longstanding friendship with Lum and Ataru."

"Then I'll ask you myself," Lum said. "Will you help us?"

"Please, Oyuki-san?" Ataru asked as well.

Oyuki's eyes seemed to soften for an instant. "Well..." she said uncomfortably. "I suppose the rule was meant to prevent the smuggling of technology to Earth, not away from it."

Ataru grinned. "So you'll do it?"

"I suppose so," Oyuki agreed. "However this will have to be the end of my involvement in the matter."

"Thank you," Sayomi said contritely. "I appreciate it."

Oyuki turned her gaze back towards the Mendou family. "Fine. Please contact me via the usual channels once you are ready, and I will open the way."

"I say we wait until July 22nd; that's when we're scheduled to leave for Oniboshi," Ataru suggested. "We can rendezvous with you on Neptune."

"Can you get the shuttle ready that fast?" Ryoko asked.

"That won't be a problem," Sayomi replied. "We just need to do a few safety inspections and load some supplies." She thought for a moment. "I can pilot the ship by myself, so gathering a human crew will not be necessary."

"I'm going too," Sumiko announced.

"Now honey," Sayomi began to admonish her.

"No. I'm going. End of story," Sumiko said firmly.

Sayomi shook her head. "Someone needs to keep an eye on the estate."

"Aunt Ryoko will be here. If anything comes up that she can't handle, I won't be of much use either."

"It's too dangerous," Sayomi insisted.

"I don't care. Father only got kidnapped because he was trying to save me."

"If something happened to you, it would make his efforts in vain, would it not?" Oyuki observed. "The wise thing to do would be for both you and Keiko-chan to remain somewhere safe until this plot has been thoroughly unraveled."

Sayomi nodded. "I think you're right."

"Speaking of that, is anywhere on Earth really all that safe?" Lum asked. "Why don't we take them both to Oniboshi? Daddy could protect them."

Ataru nodded. "That sounds like a good idea to me."

"I think so too," Sakura agreed.

"They do have much better defenses than we do," Sayomi reluctantly admitted.

"No way!" Sumiko objected. "I want to help."

"Mendou Sumiko, you will do as you are told," Sayomi snapped. Her irritable expression gradually softened as she stared at her daughter. "Listen, I know how you feel. But the best thing you can do for your father right now is to stay safe. Can you imagine how he would feel if something happened to you?"

Sumiko jumped to her feet, nearly knocking over her chair in the process. "You don't understand anything!" she growled as she stormed out of the room.

"Sumiko..." Sayomi muttered worriedly.

"I'll talk to her," Keiko promised as she rushed to follow.

* * *

"Hey."

Sumiko hardly bothered to raise her head from her pillow as she mumbled "What?"

Keiko sat down gingerly on the edge of the bed. "Are you ok?"

"No. How could I be?"

"Your mom's really smart. I'm sure she'll find your dad soon."

Sumiko buried her face back in the pillow and didn't reply.

"Come on, don't shut me out like that," Keiko protested.

"Can't you just leave me alone?"

"Nope. That's not what friends do."

Sumiko started to shoot her an irritable glance, but upon catching sight of Keiko's bruised face her expression turned regretful. "Your eye looks terrible," she muttered.

"Yeah, I know."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Keiko replied. "I know it was an accident,"

"What a day," Sumiko sighed . "I feel exhausted and worried and pissed all at the same time."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Keiko agreed as she lightly laid down across Sumiko's legs. "I really hate that Anagha guy."

"Are we really going to have to just sit around doing nothing while they look for Father?"

"Probably."

"God, I hate that. I already feel so useless."

Keiko nodded. "I know."

A quiet tapping on the window halted any further conversation. The two were shocked to see Kinuka impatiently peering in at them.

Sumiko scrambled up and quickly unlatched the window. "What are you doing out here?" she asked worriedly as they joined their classmate out on the balcony.

"Your party was canceled," Kinuka replied as she pointed down towards the ground. "She was worried."

Azumi sheepishly waved up at them from her hiding spot below.

Sumiko waved back. "I'm surprised security didn't stop you guys," she muttered worriedly.

"We snuck past them," Kinuka observed with a faint hint of pride in her voice.

"Oh really?" Sumiko asked as she made a quick call to warn security not to accidentally shoot her friends.

"What happened?" Kinuka demanded as she inspected Keiko's eye. "Were you fighting?"

Keiko flinched away. "No, I just hit it on a desk," she explained. "It's not that bad."

"Oh." Kinuka was quiet for a moment. "Something bad happened today, right?"

"Yeah," Sumiko answered honestly, her voice starting to crack. "I can't tell you any details though. Sorry."

Kinuka nodded and unexpectedly threw her arms around her classmate's middle. "I understand," she consoled. "Whatever's wrong, I hope it gets better soon. Let me know if I can help."

"Thank you," Sumiko replied as she swiped at her eyes. "That means a lot to me."

After a moment longer Kinuka released her. "We'd better go. I'll get in trouble if I'm late."

"Ok. Be careful on your way home."

"I will," Kinuka promised as she deftly hopped over the guardrail.

The two rushed over to make sure Kinuka landed safely below. With a final wave she set off, with Azumi in tow.

"She's not usually that expressive," Keiko observed as they watched the two girls disappear into the night.

"I know," Sumiko agreed as she abruptly embraced Keiko and buried her face on her friend's shoulder. "I'm really glad you're here," she sobbed.

Keiko rested her head against Sumiko's. "It'll all be alright," she murmured as she used her free hand to gently stroke Sumiko's back.

* * *

"The path is now open," Oyuki announced sharply. "Please go through as quickly as you can. The longer I keep a gate of this magnitude open, the more likely we are to attract unwanted attention.

Sayomi nodded and gave a thumbs up through the windscreen as she carefully released the brakes and eased the shuttle forward. With barely a sound the massive vessel slowly began to roll towards the dark tear in reality. A frigid wind howled past the ship as swirls of Neptunian snow blew in from the other side.

"Well, here we go," Sayomi announced as the shuttle started to pick up speed. "Once more into the void."

"Yeah, I guess so" Sumiko replied halfheartedly from the copilot's seat.

"I need you to increase your speed," Oyuki's voice ordered over the radio, a hint of urgency in her voice.

"Roger," Sayomi replied as she eased forward on the throttle. "You're not running out of steam, are you?"

"I am fine," Oyuki stated flatly.

The thick walls of the hanger rumbled ominously as the boxy dull grey shuttle picked up speed and entered the dark vortex. As the ship seemed to slip effortlessly out of existence, a thick layer of ice rapidly materialized around Oyuki's feet. Despite the rapidly plummeting temperatures, a fine sheen of sweat began to form on the Queen's stoic brow. Her legs began to shake from the incredible strain, but she managed to keep her footing .

Oyuki collapsed the portal as soon as she was sure they had reached Neptune. With a strangled gasp she fell to her knees, shattering the intricately woven ice beneath her. For upwards of a minute she remained still, her breath coming in short rapid bursts. Finally she stood up and painstakingly opened a very small portal to transport herself home.

"My lady!" one of Oyuki's attendants exclaimed as the queen stumbled into sight. "Are you alright?"

"That took a bit more out of me than I thought it would," Oyuki conceded as she leaned on the servant's shoulder.

"Wow, that was pretty amazing," Sayomi observed as the ship drifted to a stop in a newly cleared section of Neptune's spaceport.

Sumiko nodded. "I wonder how she does that."

"I'm not sure," Sayomi admitted. "I asked Lum-san, but she didn't know either."

"Hey, the ship is icing up," Sumiko pointed out.

"Crap," Sayomi muttered as she hurriedly switched on the shuttle's deicing systems. "How cold is it out there?"

"Around -15 degrees Celsius," Sumiko reported. "Huh. It's not nearly as cold as I figured it would be."

"They heavily regulate the temperature around this island," Sayomi explained. "Otherwise even Oyuki-sama wouldn't be able to live here."

"You'd think they'd keep it warmer than that then," Sumiko remarked.

Sayomi shrugged. "Well, they aren't exactly human after all." She peered uselessly out the slowly defrosting windscreen. "I wonder if the Moroboshis have left yet."

"Why don't you call them and see?"

"I'd like to avoid making contact until we're clear of the Solar System," Sayomi explained.

"We're pretty far from Earth," Sumiko pointed out. "Do you really think anyone would notice?"

"There's no sense in taking chances."

The radio crackled to life. "Trade ship, are you about ready to depart?"

"We're making final preparations now," Sayomi answered the spaceport controller calmly as she turned her attention back to the controls. "Ok, lets see. First we turn on the dimension stabilizer," she muttered as she flicked a switch.

The landing gear groaned as the weight of the heavy craft seemed to disappear. Sayomi grinned widely as the shuttle slowly lifted free of the ground.

"Very impressive," Sumiko noted as she held on tightly to her armrests. The jetpack she had spent so much time on was stone aged next to this.

"Oh, this is nothing," her mother replied as she hurriedly fussed with a variety of switches and instruments. "But it is rather convenient. Otherwise we'd have to launch vertically."

"How much testing have you guys done?"

"Practically none," Sayomi chirped happily. "We were always worried that too much power output would be noticeable. That means that we get to be guinea pigs."

"Marvelous."

"Now, don't worry. I got a good long peek at starship engine designs once, and the Moroboshis of course know all about them too."

"You sure know how to reassure someone," Sumiko dryly replied.

"Did I forget to give you a spirit of adventure?" Sayomi mused distractedly. "Um... Miss Controller?"

"Yes, ma'am," the spaceport controller answered.

"I suppose we're ready now."

"Understood." the controller replied briskly. "You're clear for take off."

"Good luck," a familiar voice chimed in.

"Thank you," Sayomi replied warmly. "For everything."

Oyuki was quiet as she watched the strange bulky ship slowly rise into the air. It was not until they were well out of sight that she let out an uncharacteristic sigh.

"My Lady?"

"I am retiring to my chambers," the queen announced as she turned away. "Please continue monitoring until they have safely left the system."

* * *

"The ion engines are functioning perfectly," Sayomi noted as they neared the safe limit for making a subspace jump. "Lets just hope the warp core is a good girl and follows their example."

"None of this is comforting," Sumiko complained.

"You're too negative," her mother scolded. "You get that from your father, you know."

Sumiko scowled as she turned away.

"We'll get him back. There's no way we're going back to Earth without him."

"Then why do I have such a bad feeling about all this?" Sumiko demanded.

"I don't know," Sayomi answered honestly. "But you shouldn't give up so easily. We're members of the illustrious Mendou clan, aren't we?"

"I suppose so."

"Well, if I've learned anything from Shutaro, it's that we always keep on trying, even when things seem hopeless."

"Is that because we're stubborn, or because we're stupid?"

"Well, we're certainly not stupid," Sayomi laughed. Her face grew serious as she checked their position. "We're far enough out now. I'm initiating the subspace jump sequence."

"If this doesn't work, what happens?"

Sayomi glanced at her worried daughter. "Oh, lots of things could happen. Best case is we just don't go anywhere. Worst case is we end up somewhere bad. Like in a star." She put on as reassuring a smile as she could manage. "Don't worry though. It's going to work perfectly."

With that she entered the command that pulled the heavily disguised shuttle from normal space and sent them shooting along towards their destination.


End file.
